Ford in Production with On-Demand AM Polymer Parts
Ford and Carbon presented the first digitally manufactured polymer parts in production for the Ford Motor Company, created with Carbon’s digital light synthesis technology.
Ellen Lee, Ph.D., Additive Manufacturing Technical Leader, Ford Motor Company, and Paul Dilaura, Vice President, Enterprise Partnerships, Carbon, kicked off the inaugural Additive Manufacturing Workshop for Automotive at the 2019 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit on January 16.
Ellen Lee of the Ford Motor Company discusses the validation process used for Carbon’s proprietary EPX 82 material used to print production parts for Ford. To watch the entire presentation—for free—register here.
In case you missed it, the very first presentation of the inaugural Additive Manufacturing Workshop for Automotive (AMWA) broke actual news. The event, which took place at this year’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit on January 16, kicked off with a presentation by Ellen Lee, Ph.D., Additive Manufacturing Technical Leader, Ford Motor Company, and Paul Dilaura, Vice President, Enterprise Partnerships, Carbon. The two showcased the first digitally manufactured polymer parts in production for the Ford Motor Company, including a Ford Focus HVAC lever arm (a service component for older models), heavy-duty truck auxiliary plugs (a niche market part) and electric parking brake brackets.
The parts, created with Carbon’s digital light synthesis technology using a Ford-qualified epoxy material, exceeded rigorous performance testing and critical requirements such as interior weathering, short- and long-term heat exposures, UV stability, fluid and chemical resistance, flammability and fogging.
Lee and DiLaura’s presentation includes in-depth explanations of the production process for the additively produced parts, including ancillary benefits regarding the elimination of inventory and warehouse requirements, drastically reduced lead times and minimum order quantities. The two presenters give detailed explanations about additive processes for parts being printed for vehicles ranging from the Mustang GT500 to the Ford F-150 Raptor. To watch the entire presentation—for free—simply register here.
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