AUDI 3D printed drivable all-metal replica of a grand prix classic
all images courtesy of AUDI

 

 

 

to push the limits of their 3D printers, AUDI’s toolingmaking branch has produced a model of the historical grand prix sports car ‘auto union typ c’ from the year 1936. the company is now examining further possible applications of metal printers for the production of complex components. 

 

the focus was the implementation of metallic 3D printing and 3D sand printing methods. the 1:2 scale model of the ‘silver arrow’ used metal printing to produce all the metallic parts where the process they utilized a selective sintering laser to melt all the layers of powder. it allows the production of components with complex geometries, which with conventional methods could not be produced. within the volkswagen group, there are a totally of 14 toolmaking units in nine countries, which are used to help make more components out of aluminum and steel for a range of different car bodies.

audi-3D-printed-auto-union-typ-c-model-designboom-02the original ‘silver arrow auto union typ c’ at the monaco grand prix race track