Tech Tidbit: Ford Launches Metal 3D-Printed Manufacturing with ExOne Binder JetTech Tidbit: Ford Launches Metal 3D-Printed Manufacturing with ExOne Binder Jet

ExOne’s aluminum binder jet process promises the speed to manufacture hundreds of thousands of parts.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

March 28, 2021

4 Min Read
ford-exone-6061-aluminum-eng-block.jpg
Ford printed a scale model V8 engine block using ExOne's aluminum binder jet process.ExOne Company

A joint project between the ExOne Company and Ford Motor Company to develop production-grade 3D printing of metal parts has reached fruition. Ford plans to start making high-volume aluminum parts in the not-too-distant future using ExOne’s aluminum binder jet printing process.

Unfortunately, Ford cannot tell us yet exactly what these first parts will be, because the company considers this new capability a technical advantage that it doesn’t want to disclose to rivals too soon, said Ford’s technical lead for additive manufacturing, Harold Sears.

Sears describes the parts as “tissue box-sized,” and says he’ll produce them in an initial volume of about 200,000 parts per year. At this scale, the ExOne printer can create numerous parts per batch, which is one of the aspects that makes binder printing fast enough for production.

Identifying candidate parts involves a process of analyzing the parts Ford uses today, said Sears. “It is taking a look at what is metal in a vehicle today. Does it fit the size criteria? What is special about that part? Is it part of a sub-assembly that we can cut down from 20 parts to two parts?”

At the same time, Ford looks for small parts that it can nest among the primary part in the printer, getting still more production at the same time. It is like a communications satellite carrying bundles of cube sats along for the ride to orbit.

Related:Molding the Tiniest Parts on Earth

“We still have empty space in the build box,” Sears observed. “Are there other parts that can come along for free?”

The imminent arrival of volume production from a 3D printer may seem surprising to those familiar with the tediously slow processes commonly employed. The difference here is the use of binder jet printing, which lends itself to higher-speed work.

fx1 storyboard.png

“When we’re talking about binder jetting, what we’re really talking about is the fastest, most production-ready form of 3D printing in the world,” touted ExOne Technical Fellow Dan Brunermer.

“The reason it is so fast, the reason it is so production-ready is really simple,” he continued. “Unlike those other forms of 3D printing where you’ve got a little tiny laser or a little tiny nozzle putting out small amounts of material, we’ve got a big, wide area print head depositing huge amounts of binder precisely where we need it according to the bit map we’ve generated. On a layer-by-layer basis, there is absolutely nothing faster!”

The process works using a box of fine powder material, precisely spraying the binder material where the material should stick together to create the part. In the case of the Ford part, the material will be aluminum powder.

Related:Team Penske Uses Stratasys 3D Printing to Speed Racing

Once the part has been printed, it needs to be sintered to make it a strong part rather than a pile of powder held together by binder glue. This process shrinks the part from the size that it emerged from the printer, so designers have to take that into account ahead of time.

“The most important thing to know is that when you eventually sinter your part, it is going to shrink,” said Brunermer. “And you’re going to need to scale your parts up by about 20 percent to adjust for that.”

The precise correction factor is 19 percent in the X and Y axes and 21 percent in the Z axis. ExOne promises less than 1 percent dimensional tolerance of the final parts with tuning to the process.

“This is a breakthrough in making 3D printed and sintered parts for the auto industry,” concluded Sears. “While the 3D-printing process is very different than stamping body panels, we understand the behavior of aluminum better today, as well as its value in light-weighting vehicles. High-speed aluminum 3D printing paves the way for other opportunities that we’re just now starting to take a look at because of the ability to do complex parts with aluminum that previously weren’t possible. It’s really opening doors for other opportunities.”

Ford bought its first ExOne 3D printers in the early 2000s for creating sand molds and cores for metal casting. Making the parts needed to make parts has been a common application for 3D printers in the manufacturing process, but now Ford is starting to eliminate a step so it can directly print the final production part that goes on customers’ cars.

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

AstonMartinVanquish_©AndyMorgan_025_copy_2.JPG

He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

Sign up for Design News newsletters

You May Also Like