Luxury Carmaker Bentley Invests Over R60 Million to Increase Use of 3D Printed Parts

• British carmaker Bentley is moving swiftly ahead with 3D printing at its plant in Crewe, England, which last year saw 15 000 components produced by the company
• Among the items manufactured were tooling for the historic Bentley Blower Continuation model, ranging to Covid-19 face shields
• In future, Bentley says 3D printing will be used to manufacture low volume components and customer personalisation items

British luxury carmaker Bentley says 3D-printed components will form part of its future manufacturing processes. The company recently invested over R60 million into the advanced technology to create 3D printed vehicle components and even greater personalisation in customer cars.

3D printing parts or the industry-termed additive manufacturing (AM) has seen Bentley produce 15 000 parts in 2021 and has been applied to a wide range of uses. The intention is to create a long-term, sustainable business model and remain at the forefront of technological progress. The tech has already been used to make parts for the Bentley Blower Continuation model was created, and face shields to United Kingdom's healthcare sector due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The benefits of 3D printing, says Bentley, include 50% cost saving on parts and by operating around the clock. The facility is capable of producing thousands of components in over 25 different material options, Newspress reports.

Bentley's motorsport division also benefited from the tech as parts were produced for its Continental GT3 Pikes Peak models were driven in the demanding Pikes Peak Challenge in America.

Peter Bosch, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Manufacturing, added:

“Bentley’s approach to additive manufacturing is industry-leading and the facility is quickly becoming a cornerstone of our ‘Dream Factory’ ambitions. One of the key benefits is that it is efficiency led, cutting down on the cost and complexity of a myriad of jobs.

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Ford releases new Everest teaser clip ahead of March 1 reveal

Ford releases new Everest teaser clip ahead of March 1 world reveal

We've already seen what the new Ford Ranger looks like without camouflage, and now it's the Everest SUV's turn, Briefly News reports.

Ford South Africa released a teaser clip of the third-generation SUV that's based on the Ranger and announced its world premiere will take place on March 1. The event will be streamed live on the local arm's Facebook and YouTube channels.

In November 2021, the US carmaker showed off the new South African-built Ranger and the new Everest is likely to borrow the bakkie's styling cues.

Source: Briefly News