This content is not included in your SAE MOBILUS subscription, or you are not logged in.

Q&A

  • Magazine Article
  • 20AUTP08_13
Published July 01, 2020 by SAE International in United States
Sector:
Language:
  • English

Among automakers, General Motors was an early adopter of 3-D printing/additive manufacturing (AM) in the 1980s and is accelerating both its use of, and investment in, the technology. Nearly 40,000 prototype parts are printed annually at GM's Warren Technical Center, including about 75% of the 2021 Corvette's bill of material used for assembly mockups. A host of tools and related items were made using AM for medical masks, face shields and ventilators. A new Additive Innovation Lab at the Tech Center has trained more than 700 technical staff. Later this year GM will open its nearby Additive Industrialization Center, aimed at further expanding AM applications into tooling and series production parts.

Kevin Quinn, GM's director of additive design and manufacturing, spoke with editor Lindsay Brooke about AM's future.