Automotive & Casting

Z Prototyping are used for everything from concept creation to production planning, allowing design engineers to speed and improve the development process.

The Challenge

The automotive industry has historically used rapid prototyping as an integral tool in the design process. The fast-paced design cycles in the automotive industry require a rapid prototyping solution that can produce almost any geometry with a variety of material properties, quickly and inexpensively.

Z Prototyping Improve:

Internal Communication Z Prototyping enable design teams to efficiently iterate on product concepts early in the design process, enabling multiple renditions to be visualized and critiqued by a variety of functional teams within an organization.

Functional Testing Utilizing Z Prototyping's range of infiltration resins, automotive design engineers are able to conduct functional testing on parts printed on a Z Prototyping Printer. Infiltrated parts can be machined, drilled and tapped. Additionally, infiltrants can be used to significantly improve the durability, humidity resistance and high temperature properties of Z Prototyping parts during airflow, vibration and other rigorous testing.

Casting Z Prototyping’s ZCast™ Direct Metal Casting process allows engineers to pour metal directly into a mold printed on a Z Prototyping, eliminating the need for a pattern. Additionally, Z Prototyping parts can be used as patterns in the traditional investment casting and sand casting processes for the production of metal prototype parts.

Production Planning Automotive companies use Z Prototyping parts to walk the product line and ensure that they have the right tools at each station to complete production in the most efficient way possible.

Finished Presentation Models Z Prototyping parts can be sanded and painted to create a "class A" finished look. Exact replicas of production models can be used to solicit focus group feedback on proposed new features.