Arash Motor Company
Supercar manufacturer Arash Motor Company is using MakerBot 3D printing technology to produce a range of parts on its next-generation electric hypercar project.
The company has the METHOD X, Replicator 2 and Replicator Z18 3D printers at its production facility, which are being leveraged throughout its high power, lightweight sports car projects.
For its latest project, Arash Motor Company has used all three MakerBot 3D printing platforms to address a range of applications with flexibility and speed. The Replicator 2 was used to produce a full-scale model, while the complex chassis and aerodynamic structure were designed with the Replicator Z18. This included new techniques such as suspension and wing design, wishbone suspension checks, hub and centre lock fitments and scale models to show structural parts. The METHOD X was utilised to produce parts in real form, which were used for stress tests, brackets, gears and other car components.
Arash Motor Company
Previously, Arash Motor Company would outsource the production of such parts, having them machined locally or overseas. But by bringing 3D printing in-house, the company has managed to reduce costs and lead times, while also saving weight by printing parts in nylon carbon fibre on the METHOD X rather than manufacturing them in aluminium. The company uses MakerBot’s Nylon 12 Carbon Fibre material for structural parts and ‘anything that is put under tension’, with other MakerBot METHOD materials to be experimented with as its projects continue.
“We’re using a lot of bracketry, fasting points and fixing points around the car in a 3D printed nylon carbon fibre,” commented Arash Motor Company founder and Lead Designer Arash Farboud. “We’re also using a lot of interior structures in ABS and nylon carbon fibre because it’s quicker and easier to make. We’re trying to get 95+% of the car in a composite material to be even higher, and we’re also trying to reduce the complexity of manufacturing to 3D printing. We’re only focusing on parts that really matter in composite manufacturing – chassis, body panels, some interior structures. We’re deskilling a lot of the processes in some ways and upskilling in other ways for the complexity and accuracy.”
Arash Motor Company says its METHOD X and Z18 machines are currently being used non-stop at its facility as part of a 24/7 3D printing operation. The company uses MakerBot CloudPrint to slice, preview, queue and monitor its prints, and expects to continue using METHOD X to create more production parts in the future.
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