Automakers like Rivian and Ford are ‘democratizing 3D printing’ to reduce costs and increase speed

Livestream Menu Automakers such as Ford, Rivian and GM are expanding 3D printing beyond prototyping into making factory tools and selected production parts. Automakers say additive manufacturing can shorten development and repair cycles and reduce costs for low-volume needs. Rivian says it has invested more than $5 million in 3D-printing machines and is widening employee access to the technology. RIVN F GM SSYS VIDEO2:2702:27 The rise of 3D-printed car parts Digital Original DETROIT — Automakers including Ford Motor and Rivian Automotive are leaning into a new type of manufacturing line: 3D printing. Manufacturers say it's helping them reduce costs and increase speed. Instead of ink, the machines use a wide variety of materials such as plastics, composites, ceramics and even metals. Printers can range from hundreds of dollars for hobby-like devices to hundreds of thousands of dollars for specialty equipment, depending on how big the product being produced is and the material it needs. They can produce individual pieces or hundreds of smaller parts in a batch using powders and resins. Rivian said it has spent more than $5 million on 3D-printing machines, with the cost of materials for the operations growing to about $1.7 million annually. Beck said despite the costs, the machines typically pay for themselves within a year. He said the technology helps lower supplier tooling costs, streamline logistics expenses and cut production times for parts from weeks to days, if not hours. "It's well in the millions [for savings], but the main thing is speed for Rivian," Beck said. The all-electric vehicle company's latest expansion of 3D printing includes adding new machines that can build flexible silicone parts as well as installing a bay of machines at its plant in Normal, Illinois, for employees to print parts on demand. "3D prints should be readily available for every engineer so that they can make a part and get it in their hands as soon as possible," Beck said. Rivian has also used the technology for electric-motor models for fluid testing, creating screw guides for tooling and stamping press inserts and some production parts, including trim pieces to fill gaps in some early builds. There's a similar push underway at larger, more-established automakers like Ford and its crosstown rival General Motors, which have used 3D printing for many years, including in their massive assembly plants. Instead of having a bay of 3D-printing machines like at Rivian, Ford has departments for additive manufacturing at many of its plants to produce and distribute needed parts.