Luxury Car’s “Dream Factory” To Lead The Way
Bentley, the British manufacturer and marketer of luxury vehicles, known for their speed and performance, has announced that it is investing anew in its 3D printing facility in Crewe, England.
To the tune of £3 million, the goal is to enhance more customization of their cars by using additive manufacturing. Actually, back in 2021, Bentley has applied AM in a wide range of applications, producing more than 15,000 components.
The investment will go towards developing and doubling their UK facility to come up with a “Dream Factory” concept, to enable the manufacture of electric vehicles. It is ultimately with the goal of becoming net-carbon neutral by 2030.
Currently, Bentley uses its 3D printers for manufacturing precise work equipment as well as physical components for prototypes and racing cars. With new investment, the automaker plans to use its 3D printing capacity to create personalization options for its mainline models; examples are the Bentley Bentayga and the Bentley Blower.
Bentley sees the benefits of additive manufacturing in their future. It is an industry-leading move that is efficiency-led, cutting down on cost and complexity in a variety of processes and jobs. 3D printers offer accuracy, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, resulting in up to half the cost savings compared to the traditional methods. Bentley designers use their current 3D printer series to choose from more than 100 material options and products with as many as three materials simultaneously including from glassware to rubber with different levels of tensile strength.
The future looks great for the auto industry, especially for those, like Bentley, that plays competitively using advanced technology as the ability to personalize products for the discerning car-buying market is getting sharper than ever.