EDITOR ’ S CHOICE A PLETHORA OF POSSIBILITIES
3D PRINT UK
3D printing for unique automotive applications
Nick Allen , Managing Director , 3DPRINTUK
The uses of 3D printing today are well established across industry , and it is routinely used as a prototype and production technology . As more and more companies become aware of the design freedom that 3D printing stimulates , and the versatility of the technology when it comes to creating innovative parts and components , its adoption by a whole host of designers and manufacturers is burgeoning .
Occasionally , however , the use of 3D printing has the ability to stop you in your tracks , and such is the case when looking at the work undertaken by Jonny Ambrose ( www . jonnyambrose . com ). Ambrose makes hugely imaginative and tactile automotive sculptures , and for the last five years or so , 3D printed parts have been at the heart of his work (@ jonnyambrose . autoart ).
Ambrose says , “ What makes my automotive sculptures work is the juxtaposition of traditional techniques such as steam bending of wood alongside the use of ultra-up-to-date manufacturing processes such as CAD solid modelling and 3D printing . Whereas previously I would use milling when trying to create lattice structures , for example , today I use 3D printing which is able to build strong , lightweight structures with geometries impossible to achieve using traditional manufacturing methods .”
42 PECM Issue 56