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3D-printed Shelby Cobra showcased at Detroit Auto Show3D-printed Shelby Cobra showcased at Detroit Auto Show

With a 3D-printed twist on an automotive icon, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, TN) was showcased additive manufacturing research at the 2015 North American International Auto Show, running through to January 25 in Detroit, MI.ORNL's newest 3D-printed vehicle pays homage to the classic Shelby Cobra in celebration of the racing car's 50th anniversary. The 3D-printed Shelby was on display January 12-15 as part of the show's inaugural Technology Showcase.

January 16, 2015

2 Min Read
3D-printed Shelby Cobra showcased at Detroit Auto Show

With a 3D-printed twist on an automotive icon, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, TN) was showcased additive manufacturing research at the 2015 North American International Auto Show, running through to January 25 in Detroit, MI.

ORNL's newest 3D-printed vehicle pays homage to the classic Shelby Cobra in celebration of the racing car's 50th anniversary. The 3D-printed Shelby was on display January 12-15 as part of the show's inaugural Technology Showcase.

This Shelby Cobra sports car, 3D-printed at Department of Energy's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was on display at the Detroit Auto Show Technology Showcase.

Researchers printed the Shelby car at DOE's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL using the Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) machine, which can manufacture strong, lightweight composite parts in sizes greater than one cubic meter. The approximately 1400-lb. vehicle contains 500 lb. of printed parts made of 20 percent carbon fiber reinforced composite.

The team took six weeks to design, manufacture and assemble the Shelby, including 24 hours of print time. The new BAAM system, jointly developed by ORNL and Cincinnati Incorporated (Harrison, OH), can reportedly print components 500 to 1000 times faster than today's industrial additive machines. ORNL researchers say the speed of next-generation additive manufacturing offers new opportunities for the automotive industry, especially in prototyping vehicles.

Recent improvements to ORNL's BAAM machine include a smaller print bead size, resulting in a smoother surface finish on the printed pieces. Subsequent work by TruDesign (Knoxville, TN) produced a Class A automotive finish on the completed Shelby.

"Our goal is to demonstrate the potential of large-scale additive manufacturing as an innovative and viable manufacturing technology," said Lonnie Love, leader of ORNL's Manufacturing Systems Research group. "We want to improve digital manufacturing solutions for the automotive industry."

 "You can print out a working vehicle in a matter of days or weeks," Love said. "You can test it for form, fit and function. Your ability to innovate quickly has radically changed. There's a whole industry that could be built up around rapid innovation in transportation."

The Shelby project builds on the successful completion of the Strati, a fully 3-D printed vehicle created through a collaboration between Local Motors and ORNL that was also on show in Detroit.

The lab's manufacturing and transportation researchers plan to use the 3-D printed Shelby as a laboratory on wheels. The car is designed to "plug and play" components such as battery and fuel cell technologies, hybrid system designs, power electronics, and wireless charging systems, allowing researchers to easily and quickly test out new ideas.

The ORNL booth at NAIAS highlights additional research and development activities in manufacturing and vehicle technologies including displays on energy absorption, composite tooling, printed power electronics and connected vehicles.

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