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3D-Printed Spare Parts for Classic Porsches

One of the drawbacks of owning a classic is the lack of original spare parts. The rarer the car, the more trouble an owner has in finding the right piece of equipment to replace a failed one. Luckily, the increased availability of 3D printers may be the end of that nightmare.
Classic Porsches to get 3D-printed parts 1 photo
Photo: Porsche
3D printers are God-sent for manufacturers too. Now, instead of stockpiling tons of parts that may never get sold, they only need to print, on-demand, the part required by the customer. The lack of an assembly line for such a task is a real money-saver for carmakers as well.

Perhaps the first to announce the use of the 3D printer in such a way is Porsche, and its Classic car division. Having a spare part catalog with some 52,000 items, Porsche Classic says that, from now on, in case particular spare parts are no longer in stock or stock is dwindling, they can be rapidly produced via a 3D printer.

Currently, Porsche manufactures nine car parts using 3D printing, including the release lever for the clutch on the Porsche 959. All are steel and alloy parts produced using the selective laser melting process, and plastic components manufactured using an SLS printer.

The success of the parts produced in such a way prompted Porsche to start research into manufacturing an additional 20 components.

“All parts are subject to the quality requirements of the original production period as a minimum, though they usually meet higher standards,”
says Porsche.

“Accuracy in terms of size and fit is ensured by performing tests with the part installed. Depending on the area of application, plastic parts made of various materials as in the original must be resistant to oils, fuels, acids, and light.”

3D printing is slowly making its way into the automotive world as well. Start-ups are the first ones to embrace the new technologies, but more and more established manufacturers begin testing them as well.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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