Skip to main content

A Burst of 3D Printing Power: The New American Muscle Car

By
After re-locating to Michigan in 2011, Equus Automotive teamed up with Stratasys Direct Manufacturing to aid in the manufacturing of the prototype/pre-production BASS770. Equus’ model 770 defines a new iconic American muscle car. Beneath its brilliant exterior lies an amalgam of advanced manufacturing, including 3D Printing and cast urethanes. Stratasys Direct Manufacturing’s Stereolithography (SLA), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Laser Sintering (LS) and cast urethanes were used to build multiple interior and exterior components including the instrument panel, headlight and taillight bezels, HVAC ducting, glass trim panel fender, console covers, seat belt covers, under hood components, and more.



The majority of the components Stratasys Direct Manufacturing 3D Printed were used as master patterns for casting. Cast urethanes are an economical alternative to injection molding for projects requiring low volumes of parts. Cast urethanes begin with a 3D Printed or CNC’d master pattern. Once Stratasys Direct Manufacturing creates master patterns, the parts are treated to post-processing to achieve the desired surface finish. Then a silicone mold is formed around the master pattern. The mold is then cast with advanced polymer urethanes, revealing strong pre-production parts. The casted components were assembled onto Equus’ BASS770 after further finishing. Not all 3D Printed parts were used as master patterns; some components were 3D printed and then chromed or simply assembled on the car after post-processing. “We did the grille in FDM,” says Jordan Golden, Project Engineer at Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. “Equus used the grille for form, fit and aesthetic checks on their prototype model. We also created LS pieces that Equus chromed and used as different levers for seat adjustment.” Other 3D printed components were spin casted, such as the chrome lettering on the car. Many of the cast urethane components in the interior are leather wrapped. Stratasys Direct Manufacturing was thrilled to be included in the prototyping of such a spectacular car; the designers, engineers, modelers and builders that compose the genius team at Equus Automotives expanded the horizons of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing technologies.


This car is not just a nod to the iconic muscle cars of the 60s and 70s, but a burst of fresh manufacturing power into an at times stagnant industry. Equus showcases a firm hold on advanced technologies by coupling traditional cast urethanes with 3D Printing and the innovation to move a niche industry of American luxury vehicles forward.



What’s perhaps the main attraction of cast urethanes and 3D Printing for a luxury vehicle with 640 HP and a LS9 Supercharged 6.2L engine? Rudimentary: Optimum customization and full control of details with complete manufacturing done in the United States.

Stratasys Direct Manufacturing services is available in Australia and New Zealand from Objective3D Service Bureau. Objective3D Service Bureau provides 3D printing and custom manufacturing through the the largest additive manufacturing centre in the southern hemisphere - Objective3D Advanced Manufacturing Centre, powered by Stratasys Direct Manufacturing with 16 commercial grade machines provides the widest range of 3D printing technologies and materials to enable a broad range of specialist solutions.

Try out our INSTANT ONLINE QUOTE or for more details, visit www.direct3dprinting.com.au or call 03-9785 2333 (AUS)  09-801 0380 (NZ)


Popular posts from this blog

Delivering High Quantities of Prototypes Fast

By
Objective3D Direct Manufacturing produces parts using a range of additive and conventional manufacturing technologies. We offer tailored solutions for your project’s needs. If your project requires larger quantities of small parts – fast, Laser Sintering is the best technological solution for you. Per-part pricing is reduced as quantities increase, but there are more advantages to using Laser Sintering for small prototypes than price alone. Laser Sintering (LS) provides strong, versatile and geometrically intricate components made from filled and un-filled nylon materials that are ideal for fit and form verification and functional testing. Prototypes made with LS are created quickly and offer robust solutions for your project. FAST Delivery Laser Sintering can provide sturdy, functional prototypes as little as 24 hours. Multi-component designs can be incorporated into single structures, allowing engineers to produce complex features and geometries in one print, and elim...
Read more

How Artec Space Spider helps measure the shape-shifting of birds in response to climate change.

By
Challenge:  In the past century, researchers have been studying a variety of birds in Australia to see how their bodies have changed as a result of global warming in order to determine how to adjust. In order to document the exact dimensions of thousands of beaks of 86 different species of birds in museums in a fast, accurate, and convenient manner, they needed a fast, accurate, and convenient method. Solution: Artec Space Spider, Artec Studio Results: By using the handheld 3D scanner Artec Space Spider, each bird can be scanned in submillimeter colour 3D in approximately two minutes. This makes it easy to scan anywhere from 30-50 birds in one museum visit. Scan processing takes just under six minutes for each bird. PhD candidate Sara Ryding 3D scanning an Australian galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) with Artec Space Spider (image credit: Sara Ryding) One of the most startling impacts of global warming has taken place for decades now: multiple species of birds around the world have b...
Read more

3D scanning and reverse engineering streamline original furniture design and production

By
MU Form Furniture Design is an Oakland-based company that designs, manufactures and distributes furniture products for the modern home and business. The company is never short of orders since good and original design is sought after by architects and interior designers. The main material MU Form works with is high-quality bent ply, which is one of the most widely used materials in this industry due to its ability to create a variety of shapes for chairs, stools, and tables. The company’s specialists seek to create great designs that pose a challenge for other manufacturers to copy or replicate. The V Dining Chair in red and grey, designed by MU Form’s Po Shun Leong. “Our designers are tasked to develop furniture designs that require a significant amount of trial and error by developing physical prototypes of chairs and stools,” says Mark Leong, CEO of MU Form. To produce a new original piece of furniture, MU Form would normally ship a physical prototype model to a factory ...
Read more