Detroit – Automakers including Ford Motor and Rivian Automotive are increasing their adoption of a new manufacturing method: 3D printing.

Manufacturers say that this technology helps to reduce costs and increase speed. Although 3D printing has been around for decades, it is becoming increasingly commercialized in the automotive industry, with 3D printers being used to manufacture a variety of items ranging from vehicle parts and accessories to tools in assembly plants and test pieces in research and development laboratories.

Rivian, the person in charge of additive manufacturing, said to CNBC while visiting the car company's extensive 3D printing operations in the suburbs of Detroit: "At this point, we have no other choice but to scale up and start using 3D printing in all departments of Rivian. We will 'democratize' the use of 3D printing throughout the company."

Benefits of 3D Printing

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, allows for the creation of three-dimensional objects by layer-by-layer deposition of material, similar to how traditional printers spray ink onto paper. The difference is that these machines use a variety of materials such as plastics, composite materials, ceramics, and even metals, rather than ink.

Depending on the product size and required materials, the prices of printers range from several hundred dollars for hobby-level equipment to hundreds of thousands of dollars for professional equipment. They can produce a single part, as well as mass-produce hundreds of small parts using powder and resin.

Rivian indicates that the company has invested over 5 million US dollars in 3D printing equipment, with related material costs amounting to approximately 1.7 million US dollars per year.

Beck said that although the cost is not low, these machines usually recoup their cost within a year. He stated that this technology helps to reduce the cost of suppliers' tooling, simplify logistics expenses, and shorten the production time of parts from several weeks to just a few days, or even hours.

"The savings have reached several million dollars, but for Rivian, speed is of utmost importance," said Beck.

The latest expansion of this pure electric vehicle company includes the addition of machines capable of manufacturing flexible silicone parts, as well as the installation of a line of equipment in its factory located in Normal, Illinois, to allow employees to print parts on demand.

"3D printed parts should be available to every engineer at any time, so that they can produce and have the parts in their hands as soon as possible," said Beck.

Rivian also applies this technology to fluid testing of motor models, screw guides for manufacturing fixtures, stamping machine inserts, as well as some production parts, including trim strips used to fill gaps in earlier model vehicles.

General Motors, Ford

In larger and more established automakers such as Ford and its local competitor General Motors, similar advancements have also been made. Both companies have been using 3D printing for many years, including in their large assembly plants.

Unlike Rivian, which has set up a whole row of 3D printing equipment within the factory, Ford has additive manufacturing departments in many of its factories, which are used to produce and distribute the required parts. This includes a new 3D printed parts vending machine near the headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, which is used for the production of F-150 pickups.

Ford mechanical engineer Gregory Foresi stated, "Once the vending machine is installed, all team leaders will be able to use it." He has been in charge of Ford's 3D printing laboratory at that factory since 2024 until last month. "We can restock it instead of having a pile of parts lying around in the laboratory. So this is very important."

Foresi used approximately over twenty machines to produce thousands of tools, some of which were designed by employees, such as torque wrench sockets, engine hood lifting tools, and hand tools for smoothing adhesives.

Employees can apply through the application to print specific car parts or tools. Ford's 3D printing team will assist in developing these parts or decide on the next steps for production, as the processing time for different parts can range from a few hours to several days, or even weeks.

Foresi says that using 3D printing to manufacture tools enables car companies to create unique designs when needed, to obtain the tools more quickly, and in many cases, at a lower cost as well.

Ford also uses 3D printing of parts to help maintain production operations. For example, Foresi mentions that the assembly line required a large processing wheel, and the company manufactured this part using 3D printing until the supplier provided a permanent replacement.

“Their performance isn’t that good, and they can’t really be considered a true substitute for the parts we purchased, but they’ve managed to keep the factory running,” said Foresi.

Ford stated that by the end of this year, 3D labs are expected to be deployed in more than 23 factories. Currently, its 3D printing project consists of over 200 machines, and the company mentioned that there are even more printers in use beyond the official projects.

In addition to using 3D printing within its research and development efforts and factories, General Motors also applies 3D printed parts to some low-volume products. The company has recently expanded the use of industrial-grade Stratasys printers, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on their specific application, training, and certification requirements.

This Detroit-based automaker used 135 3D-printed components for its customized Cadillac Celestiq, and also employed other 3D-printed parts for its high-performance Cadillac Blackwing model, including a unique badge on the manual shift knob.

Stratasys, the global senior director of automotive and aerospace business at the 3D printing company, stated that General Motors is a great example of how companies can "standardize first, then scale up" the application of 3D printing.

"The material properties have significantly improved, so the application scenarios have also improved accordingly," he said, noting that the company collaborates with almost all major automakers. "From a product perspective, we must make this technology faster and more accessible on an economic level."