German Firm Uses 3-D Printing to Create Large Scale Automotive Composites

In the past few months 3-D printing has been the main topic for most of the composites world and it’s clear that 3-D printing will reshape how we make cars in the future. Several companies have showcased their printing capabilities, however, EDAG Engineering + Design AG of Germany has a design that’s unique because it shows that with the right equipment you can produce a structure at a massively larger scale. During the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, EDAG showed off the Genesis design concept as proof that additive manufacturing – the company’s term for 3-D printing – can be used to make full-size car components. It’s on an entirely different scale than the tiny, 3-D printed creations coming out of a desktop, but it’s also just a frame – a stylized chassis that’s more art than reality. “As for the target of using additive manufacturing to produce complete vehicle bodies, there is still a long way to go before this becomes an industrial application,” EDAG says in its announcement. “So for the time being, it remains a vision. EDAG’s robot built the Genesis concept by creating a thermoplastic model of the complex interior, although the company says they could use carbon fiber to make the structure both stronger and lighter.