{"id":26479,"date":"2020-12-16T17:05:33","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T21:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=26479"},"modified":"2020-12-16T17:05:33","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T21:05:33","slug":"cadillac-blackwing-sedans-to-be-gms-first-production-cars-with-printed-parts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/12\/cadillac-blackwing-sedans-to-be-gms-first-production-cars-with-printed-parts","title":{"rendered":"Cadillac Blackwing sedans to be GM’s first production cars with printed parts"},"content":{"rendered":"

3D printing applications have become commonplace in consumer products to include sneakers, jewelry and Ikea\u00a0clothing hooks.<\/p>\n

Add Detroit auto manufacturing to the list.<\/p>\n

General Motors Co. has established a\u00a03D printing center at its Warren Tech Center called the Additive Industrialization Center. With 24 3D printers, the 15,000-square-foot facility is the hub of GM\u2019s acceleration of so-called \u201cadditive engineering\u201d in its manufacturing process.<\/p>\n

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Adding speed and efficiency to production, 3D printing is now used on everything from GMC Hummer EV and Corvette prototypes to finished vehicles\u00a0like the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing sedans.<\/p>\n

The Cadillac\u00a0performance sedans will be the first GM production vehicles to feature printed parts \u2013 most prominently an emblem on the manual shifter knob. Other parts include the electrical harness bracket and a pair of HVAC ducts.<\/p>\n

With auto-development cycles under relentless pressure to speed production, 3D printing has become an essential tool.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe core component of GM\u2019s transformation is becoming a more agile, innovative company, and 3D printing will play a critical role in that mission,\u201d said GM Additive Design and Materials Engineering chief\u00a0Audley Brown. \u201cCompared to traditional processes, 3D printing can produce parts in a matter of days versus weeks or months at a significantly lower cost.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, development of the\u00a02020 Chevrolet Corvette was assisted by 3D-printed brake ducts that were put through grueling track tests. While evolving through four design changes, the printed plastic parts cut brake-development time from 10 weeks to just one, saving 64% of budget costs in the process.<\/p>\n

The prototype\u00a0for the forthcoming GMC Hummer EV pickup contains 17 printed battery-pack parts \u2014\u00a0components that have saved 50% of development time as GM rushes to bring the Hummer to market ahead of competitors like the Tesla Cybertruck.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree-D printed parts are currently suited to low-volume production like the Cadillac,\u201d said Ali Shabbir, GM Engineering Group Manager for Additive Design and Manufacturing Product Applications. \u201cA high-volume product like the Chevy Silverado\u00a0would not be cost-effective today for additive-engineered parts. But 3D printing was certainly part of its development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silverado\u2019s sister, truck-based SUVs \u2014\u00a0the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban \u2014\u00a0benefited from nearly 100 hand tools that were printed at Arlington Assembly in Texas. The tools saved two months in the development process. Constructed with a nylon-carbon fiber composite,\u00a0the parts weighed as little as three pounds compared to traditional tools weighing 10 to 40 pounds.<\/p>\n

Warren Tech has\u00a0been a hive of 3D printing development this year. They played a crucial role in the company\u2019s contribution to the \u201cArsenal of Health\u201d \u2014\u00a0as GM \u00a0pivoted from making vehicles to medical devices in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak to assist hospitals and caregivers.<\/p>\n