| Abstract: | Although additive manufacturing and 3D printing (AM/3DP) were originally used by automakers to prototype parts faster, the auto industry has greatly expanded its use of the technology to improve tooling and molding of plastic parts (see part 1 of this series in Plastics Engineering, Sept. 2020, p. 14), as well as to quickly produce aftermarket parts for older vehicles whose original tooling has become lost and for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts on specialty vehicles whose build volumes are too low to justify conventional tooling. |
