March 11, 2018 - Italian electric vehicle company XEV and 3D printing material company Polymaker held a press conference at the China 3D Printing Cultural Museum in Shanghai
to announce and showcase the world's first mass-producible 3D printed electric car to the public.
Although this new car garnered much attention, this press conference was not just about showcasing a car; it also presented a revolutionary change that 3D printing technology will bring to the automotive
manufacturing industry.
This model, named LSEV, will be a milestone product for the application of 3D printing in mainstream production. XEV is the first mass production
project to be completed entirely using 3D printing.
Dr. Xiaofan Luo, co-founder and CEO of Polymaker, explained that while many other companies use 3D printing for production, they cannot compare to XEV in terms of size, scale, and
strength.
XEV CEO Stanley said: "After conducting research on the global automotive market, they decided to design a small electric car that could achieve C2M (customer-to-manufacturer)
manufacturing, which is considered a primary goal of the Industry 4.0 strategy."
To achieve this goal, it required capabilities for mass customization, rapid and cost-effective research and development, and the production of lightweight parts that improve fuel efficiency.
"Therefore, 3D printing technology became the only way to achieve this goal," Stanley said.
Although there were many difficulties in using 3D printing technology for automated production, Polymaker was fortunately chosen as the strategic partner for this project and successfully
helped XEV solve these problems, not only with material solutions but also with post-processing options consistent with the automotive industry.
Polymaker developed dozens of engineering plastics for XEV to meet their actual application needs. Ultimately, three major achievements were made. These are:
1. XEV reduced the number of plastic parts in the car from over 2,000 to 57. The finished LSEV weighs only 450 kg, far less than similar vehicles which typically weigh between 1 and 1.2 tons.
2. Except for the chassis, seats, and glass, all visible parts of the car are 3D printed using Polymaker materials.
This production transformation reduced investment costs by over 70% compared to traditional production systems.
3. The R&D process for traditional car models takes about 3-5 years, but XEV completed a new design in just 3-12 months.
Polymaker also proposed solutions for surface finish and color. These solutions are very effective for customized production and mass production using 3D printing.
Before mass production, XEV had already received 7,000 orders from Europe.
5,000 orders came from the Italian Post Office. Another 2,000 orders came from ARVAL, a car rental company owned by BNP Paribas in France. XEV plans to start production in the second quarter of 2019.
The strategic partnership between XEV and Polymaker will bring revolutionary changes to the automotive manufacturing industry.
Similar changes related to 3D printing technology may soon occur in all aspects of manufacturing. Polymaker has proven that their 3D printing materials are not only suitable for end-use parts,
but also for mass production of finished products.
An In-depth Interview with XEV CEO – Stanley
The Main Purpose of Designing This Car
I have been making cars for 20 years. For the past 20 years, the process of manufacturing and researching cars has been very complex and painful.
So we have always been looking for a solution to get rid of this complex, painful, and expensive process. Eventually, we found that 3D printing was the only solution
and the only way out. 3D printing allowed us to reduce development costs by 90% and development time by 70%. Cars will be more aesthetically pleasing because they can transcend the limitations of traditional
manufacturing, allowing for more freedom in design style and creativity, and more variations. At the same time, a wide range of production lines can be created in a very short time.
Each production line will target a customer's niche market.
Choosing 3D Printing for the Final Production Process
Years ago, we called 3D printing rapid prototyping. We have always used rapid prototyping to develop parts.
In the past, we learned from SLA to SLS, and then later FDM. A few years ago, FDM became very popular, and many FDM 3D printers emerged.
This gave me an insight that FDM technology and materials are affordable for the general public, and 3D printing can be used for mass production. Then I started looking for ways
to achieve this. During this period, I found my partner Roberto, one of the best 3D printing experts. Then I also found Mr. Luo Xiaofan, the founder of Polymaker, who created the best 3D printing materials for us.
Two years ago, we all brainstormed how to use FDM technology for mass production. Finally, we created a 3D printing production line. It combines all the advantages of 3D printing, and compared to traditional manufacturing, it is affordable
and has lower costs.
Time Required to Print All Plastic Parts of an LSEV Car
Currently, it takes about 3 days to print all the car parts, from the interior to the exterior. Each of our 3D printers can extrude 25kg of material per day.
This is about 10 times more than other industrial 3D printers.
Challenges of Scaling Production
The main challenge is that no one has done this before. So, we must be brave to try, but we believe in our best talents, and we will find the best method in the shortest possible time.
Other Benefits that 3D Printing Brings to the Manufacturing Process
3D printing brings many benefits to our process. It gives us more freedom to create.
Not only our customers, but even the public can participate in car development. It also changes the current way industrial cars are manufactured. The cost of building factories
becomes less.
We create the most efficient production method, not only for cars but also for other items. We will create a platform where one machine can build infinite
shapes, infinite parts.
You don't need to change machines to manufacture different parts. With just one machine, you can make car doors or bumpers, round or triangular shapes,
parts with an area of 0.5x0.5 meters or 1.5x1.5 meters.
So, anyone can contribute any form on this manufacturing platform. The only thing that needs to change is the 3D data.
You don't need to know how to make a car, you just need to design the appearance you like. Then leave the manufacturing process to the 3D printer. This is my idea for Industry 4.0.
Help from Polymaker
Without Polymaker, we could not have done this. The automotive industry has very strict requirements because you might need to drive a car from a place with 40℃ to another place with -30℃.
So this project has very difficult material requirements.
We really enjoyed our interaction with Polymaker, which can be called a synergy of knowledge. Without these interactions, we would not have found our current solutions.
So, we are very grateful to Polymaker for their efforts and creations. We are like brothers, not just strategic partners.
Original source:
http://www.polymaker.com/polymaker-xev-launch-3d-printed-electric-car-lsev/