Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 8
8
* AUGUST 2023
3D vision
Printing aluminum structural parts
has some distinct advantages over
stamping, casting and machining.
Using its new $2.6 million
hypercar as a rolling example,
one company wants to take
the process mainstream
By DAVID KENNEDY
T ORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
FOR CZINGER VEHICLES INC. AND
manufacturing affiliate Divergent 3D, the
Czinger 21C hypercar is a stepping stone
to a long-term goal.
The two companies, which share a roof
in Los Angeles, aim to make 3D printing
the norm for automotive chassis components,
whether for multimillion-dollar
performance machines or regular
commuter cars.
The initial focus on the highest
end of the automotive business
has let Divergent 3D make
a statement about its additive
manufacturing technology - 3D
printing - said Lukas Czinger,
COO and co-founder of the two companies.
The
Czinger 21C is a saleable proof
point, he said, but the research and development
to 3D print structural components,
such as the rear subframe, suspension
control arms and the gearbox case,
weren't cheap.
" That takes a lot of dollars ... which
means you're going to end up with a car
that's in the million-dollar-plus segment, "
Czinger told Automotive News Canada
at the Collision 2023 tech conference in
Toronto in late June.
But the intensive R&D showcased in
the $2.6 million (US $2 million) two-seater
will " trickle down " to the rest of the industry
as Divergent slashes production costs,
Czinger said.
AI ADDS, SUBTRACTS, CREATES
The Divergent Adaptive Production
System (DAPS) is a process that runs
from design through to manufacturing
and assembly. The company's custom
Czinger: The cost to develop 3D
printing technology " means you're
going to end up with a car that's in the
million-dollar-plus segment. " But the
goal is more widespread use of 3D in
the market. PHOTO: LINKEDIN
design software lets engineers minimize
the amount of material needed for chassis
components while ensuring the parts have
the necessary stiffness, crash safety and
other attributes.
The company uses an artificial intelligence-based
design process. A human
designer inputs the target parameters for
a component, then machine learning algorithms
generate a design that meets each
criterion.
The result is a vehicle that only has
what it needs; taking " a gram " of weight
out of it will create a compromise, Czinger
said.
In parallel, the software runs printing
and assembly simulations to show how
the designs can scale.
Divergent prints the parts with a patented
aluminum alloy.
The chassis components often have
complex geometries, with ribbing, lattice
and thin or hollow spaces that could not
In the Czinger
21C, the
passenger is
seated directly
behind the driver. The
greenhouse is narrow,
which provides room
for large air intakes in
front of the rear wheels. The
3D-printing technology used
in the car is expected to trickle
down to the rest of the industry
as costs decrease. SUPPLIED PHOTO
The Divergent Adaptive Production System uses software that minimizes the
amount of material needed for chassis parts and ensures that they have the proper
attributes. 3D printers then make the parts, which are bonded instead of welded.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
be done using the stamping or casting processes,
Czinger said.
The final assembly step is achieved
entirely with specialized bonding agents,
eliminating the traditional welding stage.
MASS-MARKET MISSION
While the DAPS process was first put
through its paces building the niche 21C,
Divergent has its long-term sights set on
serving the mass market as a Tier 1
supplier.
" None of the hardware is product-specific,
meaning you can just
reprogram it within minutes to do
a different assembly, and there's no
hardware change, " Czinger said.
Today, Divergent is printing parts
at rates that make it competitive in
the higher end of the luxury segment.
It has locked in 20 production programs
with eight automakers, Czinger
said, though just one has been publicly
disclosed: the rear frame for a special-edition
Aston Martin.
The 1,350-horsepower Czinger 21C hybrid hypercar has structural components
printed from aluminum by manufacturing affiliate Divergent 3D. In Canada,
Pfaff Automotive Partners will sell the $2.6 million 21C. SUPPLIED PHOTO
The company is in discussions with
a series of global automakers as well
as defence and aerospace companies -
industries that also need high-performance,
lightweight parts.
Divergent operates out of a 100,000square-foot
(9,500-square-metre) plant in
California, but the company has ambitious
scale-up plans. It aims to build up
to 20 production sites worldwide that by
2030 will be capable of printing millions of
chassis components for all classes of vehicles.
To
break into the mainstream consumer-vehicle
market, Czinger said, the company
is investing heavily in R&D that will
bring down the cost of its printers and
speed up printing.
READY TO REVEAL AND REV
While Divergent 3D eyes the mass market,
Czinger Vehicles is preparing to deliver
the first 21C.
The street-legal hypercar's hybrid powertrain
generates 1,350 horsepower. The
car can accelerate to 100 km/h from rest in
1.9 seconds and to 300 km/h from rest in 8.5
seconds. The company claims a top speed
of 452 km/h.
The unique layout puts the passenger
directly behind the driver.
In Canada, Czinger Vehicles has signed
Toronto-based Pfaff Automotive Partners
to sell the 21C.
As many as five vehicles of the limited
production run could make it to Canada,
Czinger said, with two buyers lined up.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin this
year. - ANC
Automotive News Canada - August 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - August 2023
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - Intro
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 1
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 2
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 3
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 4
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 5
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 6
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 7
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 8
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 9
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 10
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 11
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 12
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 13
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 14
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 15
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 16
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 17
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 18
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 19
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 20
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 21
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 22
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Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 25
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Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 27
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Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 31
Automotive News Canada - August 2023 - 32
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