Hyundai Mobis opens $2.8 M 3D Printing and model workshop for car design

From the official Press Release:

The design model workshop, covering a a floor area of 430m², is equipped with a range of cutting-edge design machines, including a clay model processing machine, which can create a life-size clay car, and a powder 3D printer.

The goal is to assess whether the auto components created by the automotive supplier go well with the design of a car, thereby improving design quality. They will make a clay mockup of a car and fit components created by 3D printers to the car.

Hyundai Mobis plans to create models of new cars and establish an optimal component design process that best suits each car model.

The design workshop is expected to facilitate the design process because they can get a car model in the early stage of component design and fabricate and modify samples in a single place. Another merit is that designers can see the design of a real model, rather than simply seeing a virtual one on the monitor.

Hyundai Mobis is expected to respond to customer demand faster and more accurately by actively utilizing the Design Model Workshop. This is because using 3D printers can significantly reduce the time to make a sample, consequently saving development duration and cost. The automotive supplier plans to improve precision by scanning samples with a 360-degree rotating 3D scanner and utilizing data acquired from scanning.

In addition to a faster response, Hyundai Mobis plans to proactively offer component design reflecting the latest trends to customers. One example is the head lamp, one of the key automotive components produced by the company. It will produce various head lamps with a 3D printer and suggest ones that go well with a car to the customer.

“Adding design, which is within the area of emotion, to performance and quality will allow us to secure a competitive edge over global rivals,” said Hyundai Mobis Design Director, Kang Han-tae.

More about the machines

1. A clay model processing machine: It is a machine used to create a car model based on the information entered. It takes about three weeks to make a life-size car model precisely with an error range of 0.05 mm. A two-meter-tall robot arm cuts clay into a model. Then, color and texture are put onto the cut clay, creating a car model identical to the actual model to be released.

2. Powder 3D printer: Unlike normal 3D printers widely used in production, the powder type 3D printer makes a product by spraying fine particle powder. It also sprays a liquid binder to harden the powder. With ultra-fine particles, it can produce more precise samples than normal 3D printers and also provide easy modification or supplementation of design.

About Hyundai Mobis

A subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, Hyundai Mobis is a global tier-1 automotive supplier headquartered in Seoul, Korea. Established in 1977, the corporate philosophy is to become a lifetime partner with technologies for automobiles and people.

Hyundai Mobis currently employs over 30,000 people. Manufacturing operations are in over 30 locations in 10 countries, including Korea, China, and the U.S. Products include automotive modules (chassis, cockpit and front-end), brakes, suspensions, airbags, lamps, and automotive electronics. R&D headquarters are in Korea with 4 technical centers worldwide, Germany, China, India, and the U.S.

(Source: Hyundai Mobis via 3DPrintingIndustry.com)