Those who have an old rare vintage car know how hard it is to find their spare parts. Suppliers can make compatible spare parts using the traditional tools, however, this is not very efficient if only a few of those parts are needed. Keeping this issue in mind, Porsche Classic, which is a part of the Porsche company, has started 3D printing the spare parts. Porsche classic gave an example of it when they released the lever for the clutch on a Porsche 959. This part of the car was no longer available since only 292 of these cars were manufactured.
The part was manufactured again by using a process called selective laser melting. The procedure involves using a high-energy laser beam to melt the steel powder in a precise pattern. This builds the 3D object layer by layer at a time. The resulting product was able to pass both the pressure test and a tomographic examination for any faults inside. The part also went through a practical test where it was installed and used in a vehicle.
Porsche Classic is also 3D printing eight other parts which are made of steel and plastic. It is also assessing if the technology is appropriate to be used in further 20 parts. In any case, the parts need to meet the quality requirements of the original production period as a minimum. The 3D product has so far exceeded the original production period. It can be seen that the old, rare, obscure parts can be made on demand. This will help to eliminate the cost involved in storing part-specific production tools and pre-made parts.
