Ford Motor Company revealed that it extensively used 3D printing in the design of the new Electric Explorer. Ford used Formlabs’ SLA and SLS 3D printers, like the Form 4 and Form 3L, as well as its SLS 3D printer, the Fuse 1+. Furthermore, Ford’s designers combined additive manufacturing technologies with traditional subtractive manufacturing methods such as milling and injection molding.
The Formlabs Form 4 was introduced last year and is now the base model, replacing the Form 3+. Ford has been working with Formlabs as a beta tester for Form 4 since before the launch.
Ford leverages Formlabs SLA and SLS 3D Printers
According to Ford, the latest generation of Formlabs printers has enabled designers to fulfill requests in under 24 hours, including those from other facilities, as long as they are within overnight shipping range. Stereolithography (SLA) allowed the company to validate designs for both interior and exterior parts, including the sideview mirror assembly. Mechanical testing was aided by selective laser sintering (SLS), particularly for the Electric Explorer’s charging port, which is complex in design.
“For this charging cover, it was important to use SLS, based on the fact that we needed a functional part that would enable us to test the mechanisms. It’s a really complex design that we are not able to produce in any other way. We cannot mill this part. We cannot use injection molding to produce just some samples. So the best way is to print in a material that we can test physically.”
Bruno Alves, additive manufacturing expert and tooling specialist at Ford
Even when Ford’s designers used injection molding, 3D printing proved to be an effective supplement. The Electric Explorer’s door handle design necessitates the use of two rubber components for damping and insulation, which were injection moulded. Additionally, the designers 3D printed inset moulds for their in-house injection molding machine.
Alves added, “This was a complex process because we are using several inserts and there are also several different designs that could have several iterations each. Normally, external injection molding will take maybe two or three months. Internally, using additive manufacturing, we can speed up the process to maybe two weeks, three weeks maximum. For this project, if we had to use external tools, it would have been much more time-consuming and we would not have been able to deliver the parts on time.”
Speed, more than volume or repeatability, is the most important factor in 3D printing adoption, particularly for prototyping. As this story about Ford’s Electric Explorer design suggests, it’s also critical for accelerating electrification.
Ford has set an ambitious goal of having an entirely electric lineup by 2030. To meet the necessary milestones, the company will need to continue seeking out cutting-edge technologies and experimenting with new, innovative workflows. To remain competitive, they must push the boundaries and integrate new materials, processes, and machinery, such as in-house tooling and 3D printing.
“Our competitors are speeding up the developing process. We need to speed up as well. So the solution is to test new materials, new processes, and new machines coming to market. Currently, if we didn’t have access to additive manufacturing, we would not be able to compete with the competitors, we would not be able to be so fast. 3D printing allows us to, in a shorter time, have the best product that we can offer for the clients,” said Alves.
