unveiled the first digitally manufactured polymer parts in
production for Ford Motor Company. The parts include Ford
Focus HVAC Lever Arm Service Parts, Ford F-150 Raptor
Auxiliary Plugs for a niche market, and Ford Mustang GT500
Electric Parking Brake Brackets.
The continuous liquid interface 3D printing process devel-
oped by Carbon made headlines when it was released just a
few years ago. Today the company is working with Ford to
expand its digital manufacturing capabilities. In part one
of 3D Printing Trends in Manufacturing, I mentioned the
digital thread. This can streamline production and have
documentation for quality assurance and audits, provide
real-time tracking, give the opportunity to develop digital
twins, and explore what artificial intelligence might do for
production. Automating the process, such as 3D printing
offers, can go hand-in-hand with automating the documen-
tation process too.3D printing let the part number and other information to be printed
into the part so you don’t have to worry about labels wearing over
time.A
ccording to a recent
Frost & Sullivan report,
the global 3D printing materials
market for the aerospace industry
is expected to reach $535.1 million
by 2024. Airbus has historically
embraced 3D printing, and the
partnership with Ultimaker further
underscores their commitment to
further utilizing 3D printing within
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