3D printing could soon benefit the vehicle dynamics industry, through work being undertaken by PSA Group and Divergent 3D, a Los Angeles-based company that specializes in 3D printing of metals.
While the use of additive manufacturing is commonplace in the automotive industry for small-scale pilot programs focused on developing individual 3D-printed components for production, the partnership between PSA and Divergent 3D is intended to go a step further and transform the design and manufacture of overall vehicle structures with the objective of building lighter, structurally safe, cost-efficient and environmentally responsible automobiles.
Carlos Tavares, chairman of PSA Group, stated: “We are very impressed by the promising new opportunities in Divergent 3D’s technology. We’re convinced that these spectacular advances in 3D printing will help position PSA Group as a leader in automobile manufacturing. This has the potential to dramatically scale down the size and scope of our manufacturing footprint, reduce overall vehicle weight and build complexity, while also giving us almost limitless flexibility in design output. We are talking about a radical change for our industry.”
