Ford sees 3D printing cutting costs, boosting quality
Shelby Mustang GT 500 will get 3D-printed brackets for brake lines
Small black brackets such as the one in Harold Sears’ hand recently will find their way onto the 2019 Ford Shelby Mustang GT 500.
The bracket, and how it was created, rather than the car itself, which will be shown in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, was part of the reason Sears was talking to a group of reporters in Redford Township, Mich.
Sears, a technical expert in additive manufacturing technologies, was discussing the technologies — such as the 3D printed bracket — Ford is using to cut costs and the time it takes to make necessary improvements in the manufacturing process.
He was also part of a team showcasing Ford’s $45-million Advanced Manufacturing Center during a recent tour. The 100,000-square-foot center is a large open space for testing out not just 3D printing, where a machine is able to make a product using computer instructions and typically some type of resin, but also augmented and virtual reality and collaborative robots.
“Ford has really been an early adopter of these technologies,” Sears said. “We are here to integrate this technology more in manufacturing.”
The new Mustang will have two of the 3D printed brackets to hold a brake line, showing the potential for 3D printing to manufacture actual vehicle parts. With advancements in 3D printing expected to continue, the potential for cost-savings, disruption to traditional manufacturing and the ability to make previously impossible-to-produce pieces is significant.
Sears also showed a 3D printed bracket for a heater control unit in an older Ford Focus. When asked whether dealers would eventually be able to print out parts for specific customer service needs, Sears said “it’s all a possibility.”
Sears showed examples of 3D printing with both metals and polymers and said that about 30 Ford facilities currently have 3D printers.
A Ford release noted that 3D printed parts also improve quality.
“Assembly line workers at Michigan Assembly Plant, where Ford builds the Ranger pickup, use five different 3D printed tools.These tools played a critical role in the launch of Ranger, removing weeks from an already tight timeline and ensuring quality is built in — from the first vehicle that rolled off the line,” according to the release, which noted that Ford bought the first 3D printer ever made in 1988.
The release said Ford is working with 10 3D manufacturing companies and has 23 3D printing machines at the center.
“This allows Ford experts to develop applications with different materials — from sand to nylon powder to carbon. One application currently under development has the potential to save the company more than $2 million,” the release said.
Also during the tour, journalists got the opportunity to try assembling a part using traditional printed instructions, a basically unsuccessful effort for a few folks, and then again with the help of an augmented reality trainer. Using special goggles, the journalists followed instructions for assembling the part with the help of a hologram, a much quicker process.
Mark Goderis, digital engineering manager, noted that augmented reality allows for global collaboration on parts assembly and can provide consistent training as well as introducing training earlier in the manufacturing process.
Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of Global Operations, noted in the release the connections between these new efforts and Ford’s innovative manufacturing past.
“Today, we are re-inventing tomorrow’s assembly line — tapping technologies once only dreamed of on the big screen — to increase our manufacturing efficiency and quality,” he said.