A s Scott Crump’s career came to its end last year, the inventor of Fused Deposition Modelling began to reflect on many of the highlights in his 31-year stint in the additive manufacturing sector afforded him. There were the gruelling nighttime shifts in the 80s, the pursuit of investment in the 90s, partnerships with some of the biggest manufacturers in the 00s and, of course, the mainstream media attention of the 2010s.
In the year before he retired, though, there was one manufacturing site visit that would stand out, that would represent the progress 3D printing technology had made and that would confirm to Crump that his efforts over the preceding three decades had been worthwhile.
At a General Motors (GM) facility, he joined a group of 25 engineers in walking up and down various segments of a production line and placing post-it notes whenever they found a suitable 3D printing application. Crump expected they’d find around 20 between them. They identified 200.
General Motors’ use of 3D printing can be traced back to the early days. The company has long utilised processes like FDM for prototyping, but as with many other automakers, has seen the application of the technology grow in recent years.
The company’s big wins have come predominantly in tooling applications, with General Motors Additive Manufacturing Senior Engineer Malini Dusey suggesting that GM has established itself as somewhat of a leader in 3D printed automotive tools. Dusey and her colleagues at the Warren Tech Center are responsible for the additive manufacture of such components, which are then distributed to GM Assembly Plants in as little as 24 hours.
Steve Fecht for General Motors
General Motors Additive Manufacturing Senior Engineer Malini Dusey holds tools made at the GM Additive Industrialization Center using a 3D printer at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan. (Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors)
Malini Dusey holds an additively manufactured tool.
“When GM is poised to put new vehicles on the road,” Dusey says, “we are looking at deploying tooling very efficiently and very rapidly, looking at what are the needs, how can we improve processes, where are the biggest challenges, where are the areas that we can actually make a difference? Lead time reduction is of utmost importance, and we are seeing that, with the use of additive manufacturing, we are able to build these tools very quickly, adapt to the process, they conform to the shape exactly what the job is on hand, and also lightweight them.”
More often than not, GM exploits its healthy repertoire of FDM systems, which was bolstered in late 2019 with 17 additional Stratasys systems, including several F900 platforms. This equipment is used to additively manufacture handheld tools, as well as larger parts that may need assembling after the print, with powder bed fusion technology also being available. FDM has been invested in for its ability to produce load-bearing applications with carbon fibre-reinforced nylon and other ‘highly engineered plastics’, while its SLS systems are more likely to be deployed for thin-walled parts.
As General Motors opened its Additive Industrialisation Center at the Warren Tech Center last year, the company outlined its commitment to ‘productionising 3D printing’ and revealed the Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing models to be the first GM production vehicles equipped with 3D printed parts.
For these production parts, General Motors will take the same approach as it has with its tooling components. It’s an approach that has so far worked – in last year’s launch of full-size SUVs at the Arlington Assembly plant in Texas, GM supplied around 100 hand-apply tools which have been additively manufactured in nylon carbon fibre composite instead of aluminium, bringing the weight down in some parts from between 10-40lbs to 3lbs.
“Just because you can use additive for something, doesn’t mean that you should,” Dusey says. “As we look around again, it’s fuelled by the needs and challenges of our manufacturing plants and our folks on the floor and also our supply base, because the supply case is stretched just as thin in terms of everything moving so fast. Looking at their challenges and seeing what it is that we can do to help build tools to support their needs is what they’re focused on. That allows us to identify the critical needs where additive would be a good solution.”
General Motors leans on the insights of a range of personnel to identify internal applications of additive. Shop floor staff, engineers, management and suppliers have all been engaged as General Motors looks to get the most out of the technology. And as Crump fondly remembers, it’s not uncommon for the company to also tap into the design expertise of 3D printing tech suppliers in a bid to find solutions.
“It’s company-wide,” Dusey finishes. “It comes all the way from the folks on the shop floor who are actually using it – they have the most immediate need – however they will only know what’s possible if they are made aware of the capabilities of additive and even more so if they have experienced some quick successes. A quick success makes a great advocate and allows them to come up with new ideas in the future. This is relevant from the manufacturing floor all the way to management. Each team has different needs and is made up of different folks that are looking to expedite their work in a different way. The needs are varied. However, once they are made aware of what the capabilities are, it very quickly is translated to the application.”
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