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GM's New Additive Center Will Take Care of Series-Production 3D-Printed Parts

A few days ago, GM’s premium brand Cadillac released a new teaser into the wild concerning the upcoming 2022 CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing models. That’s hardly a surprise, considering the couple is the hottest subject for the brand. What’s interesting is that Cadillac highlighted the return of the stick shift, complete with the introduction of some neat details created through additive manufacturing applications – a.k.a. 3D printing.
General Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcement 15 photos
Photo: General Motors Company
General Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcementGeneral Motors Additive Industrialization Center 3D printing announcement
General Motors is now revealing the exact source of the new Cadillac parts, which include an “emblem on the manual shifter knob, an electrical harness bracket and two HVAC ducts.” The company will produce them at its new 15,000-square-foot Additive Industrialization Center, a facility that was created from the ground for a sole purpose: bring the 3D printing technology a step closer to series production.

The automotive industry has witnessed a surge in interest for additive manufacturing applications, and the new AIC is General Motors’ way of leveraging the experience gained over the years. It’s also the company's way of focusing investments for 3D printing technology, as the conglomerate believes it will help reshape its operations, from product development to manufacturing and even motorsports.

The core component of GM’s transformation is becoming a more agile, innovative company, and 3D printing will play a critical role in that mission,” said Audley Brown, GM director of Additive Design and Materials Engineering. “Compared to traditional processes, 3D printing can produce parts in a matter of days versus weeks or months at a significantly lower cost.”

The AIC will have a total of 24 3D printing units, used for the creation of both polymer and metal solutions through a number of processes – such as “selective laser sintering, selective laser melting, Multi-Jet Fusion and fused deposition modeling.” GM Ventures and GM R&D are also partnering with the AIC, as the new additive manufacturing center is also a lab for validating new additive technologies and applications.

Of course, the first direct result derived from AIC’s existence will be the upcoming introduction of Cadillac’s CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing and their newly created 3D-printed parts. But the company says this is just the first step and sees a bright career for additive manufacturing in many areas, including product personalization, the development of tailored accessories, or the reproduction of classic car parts.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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