From prototypes to the plant floor
Automakers including Ford Motor, Rivian Automotive and General Motors are expanding their use of 3D printing, according to CNBC. The technology has existed for decades, but it is becoming more commonplace in the auto industry. Printers are now used for vehicle parts and accessories, tools for assembly plants and testing units for research and development labs.
Also called additive manufacturing, the process builds objects from digital designs by laying down material layer by layer. The machines can work with plastics, composites, ceramics and metals. CNBC reported that printers range from hundreds of dollars for hobby-style devices to hundreds of thousands of dollars for specialty equipment, depending on the size of the product and the material involved.
Rivian's push to widen access
Rivian said it has spent more than $5 million on 3D-printing machines, and that its annual materials cost has grown to about $1.7 million. Jared Beck, head of Rivian's additive manufacturing, told CNBC the machines typically pay for themselves within a year. He said the technology lowers supplier tooling costs, streamlines logistics and cuts production times for parts from weeks to days, if not hours.
"We're going to be democratizing 3D printing for the entire company," Beck said during a tour of the company's operations in suburban Detroit. He described speed as the main benefit, saying savings are "well in the millions" but that speed matters most to Rivian.
The latest expansion includes new machines that can build flexible silicone parts and a bay of printers at the company's plant in Normal, Illinois, where employees can print parts on demand. Rivian has also printed electric-motor models for fluid testing, screw guides for tooling, stamping press inserts and some production parts, including trim pieces used to fill gaps in some early builds.
Ford and GM build on years of use
Ford and GM have used 3D printing for many years, including in their large assembly plants. Rather than a single bay of machines, Ford has additive manufacturing departments at many plants. That includes a vending machine for 3D-printed parts used in F-150 pickup production near its Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters.
Gregory Foresi, a Ford mechanical engineer who ran the plant's 3D-printing lab from 2024 until last month, said the vending machine gives all team leaders access and avoids parts piling up in the lab. He said roughly two dozen machines printed thousands of tools, some designed by employees, such as torque bit sockets, hood jackers and hand tools for smoothing adhesive. Workers can request parts or tools through an app.
Foresi also described a case in which a large machining wheel was needed to keep the assembly line running. Ford printed the part until a permanent supplier replacement arrived. The printed versions "didn't perform as well," he said, but "they kept the plant running." Ford said it expects 3D labs at more than 23 plants by the end of this year, and its program has more than 200 machines, with additional printers outside the official program.
GM's low-volume vehicles and the supplier view
GM has used printed parts in some low-volume products, in research and development, and inside its plants, and has recently expanded its use of industrial Stratasys printers. CNBC reported that the Detroit automaker uses 135 3D-printed components in its bespoke Cadillac Celestiq, along with other parts for Cadillac Blackwing sedans, including a unique medallion on the manual shifter knob.
Fadi Abro of Stratasys, which makes the printers, said GM is a strong example of how companies can "standardize and then scale" the technology. He said improved material properties have broadened the use cases, and that the technology still needs to become faster and more accessible economically.
