Ferrari 599 steering wheel diodes cover produced on the Zortrax Inkspire.
Ferrari 599 steering wheel diodes cover produced on the Zortrax Inkspire.
Vintage car restoration company ABcar Oldtimers is using Zortrax 3D printing technology to manufacture spare parts for classic automobiles no longer available for purchase on the market.
The company has deployed Zortrax’s Inkspire resin-based 3D printing platform to additively manufacture replacement automotive components, which resemble the originally designed parts, within days rather than months. Zortrax’s Inspire machine is supplemented by a wide range of resins and typically finds its application in the dental and jewellery markets.
Vintage Mercedes Benz gauge needle.
ABcar Oldtimers, however, has managed to successfully utilise the machine to produce spare parts for classic motor vehicles. One example of 3D printing’s application by ABcar Oldtimers was in the production of a steering wheel cover on a Ferrari 599 which protective LED lighting. Upon starting the car, the lights would be visible through the semi-transparent cover, but when turned off, the steering wheel would appear completely black. Harnessing a black resin, ABcar was able to 3D print a replacement part which allowed light transparency without compromising the quality of the original piece. Another case saw the Inkspire printing leveraged to replace the dials of a Mercedes Benz car’s speedometer.
“The thin needles in the display of tachometers and speedometers mounted in the vehicles provided by Mercedes Benz were beautifully crafted with a crescent moon at their tips. These are no longer produced,” said Bartłomiej Błaszczak, Director of Design and Engineering at ABcar Oldtimers. “It is possible to order similar ones cut with a diamond blade however, they would be shaped in a standard pattern losing the unique spirit provided by the crescent moon.
“Thanks to the Zortrax Inkspire printer, we can recreate such elements in a few minutes. In addition, we can customise their thickness and length to specific metres. The needles which come out of the printer are the ultimate elements of the equipment in cars we produce.”
