March 11, 2018 - Italian electric vehicle company XEV and 3D printing material company Polymaker held a press conference at the China 3D Printing Culture Museum in Shanghai
to announce and showcase the world's first mass-producible 3D printed electric car to the public.
While this new car garnered much attention, the press conference was not just about the car itself, but also about the revolutionary changes that 3D printing technology will bring to the automotive industry.
The LSEV model will be a milestone product for 3D printing in mainstream production. XEV is the first mass production project to be entirely completed using 3D printing.
Dr. Xiaofan Luo, co-founder and CEO of Polymaker, explained that although many other companies use 3D printing for production, they cannot compare with XEV in terms of size, scale, and strength.
Stanley, CEO of XEV, said: "After conducting research on the global automotive market, they decided to design a small electric vehicle 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 requires mass customization production, fast and cost-effective research and development, and the ability to produce lightweight parts that improve fuel efficiency. "Therefore, 3D printing technology became the only way to achieve this," Stanley said.
Although there are many difficulties in using 3D printing technology for automated production, Polymaker was fortunate to be selected as a strategic partner this time 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 practical application needs. Ultimately, three major achievements were made:
1. XEV reduced the number of plastic parts in the car from over 2000 to 57. The finished LSEV weighs only 450 kg, much lower 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's 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 to 12 months this time.
Polymaker also proposed solutions for surface treatment and color. These solutions are very effective for custom 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 building cars for 20 years. For the past 20 years, our process of manufacturing and researching cars has been very complex and painful. So, we have been looking for a solution to free ourselves from this complex, painful, and expensive process. Eventually, we found that 3D printing is the only solution and the only way out. 3D printing allows us to reduce development costs by 90% and development time by 70%. Cars will be more beautiful because we can go beyond the limitations of traditional manufacturing, allowing for more freedom in design style and creativity, and more variations. At the same time, we can create a wide range of production lines in a very short time. Each production line will target a niche market for customers.
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 later FDM. A few years ago, FDM became very popular, and many FDM 3D printers appeared.
It gave me an insight that FDM technology and materials are affordable for the public, and 3D printing can be used for mass production. Then I started looking for ways to achieve this. During this time, I found my partner Roberto, who is one of the best 3D printing experts. 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, making it affordable and lower cost compared to traditional manufacturing.
Time required to print all plastic parts for an LSEV
Currently, it takes about 3 days to print all parts of the car, from interior to exterior. Each of our 3D printers can extrude 25kg of material per day. That's about 10 times more than other industrial 3D printers.
Challenges of scaling production
The main challenge is that no one has ever done this before. So, we have to be brave and try it ourselves, but we believe in our best talents, and we will find the best way in the shortest possible time.
Other benefits 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 way cars are currently manufactured in industry. The cost of building factories becomes lower.
We create the most efficient production method, not only for cars but also for other projects. We will create a platform where one machine can build infinite shapes and infinite parts.
You don't need to change machines to make different parts. With one machine, you can make car doors or bumpers, round or triangular, parts with an area of 0.5X0.5 meters or 1.5x1.5 meters.
So, anyone can contribute any form to 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 of Industry 4.0.
Help from Polymaker
We couldn't have done this without Polymaker. The automotive industry has very demanding requirements because you might need to drive a car from a place at 40°C to another place at -30°C. So this project has very difficult material requirements.
We really enjoyed interacting with Polymaker; it can be called a synergy of knowledge. Without these interactions, we wouldn't have found our current solution. So, we are very grateful for Polymaker's 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/