Toyota Unveils Excessive-Efficiency SUV Idea With 3D-Printed Components

Toyota has unveiled a high-performance SUV idea that includes 3D-printed elements, marking a shift in manufacturing practices.

This idea, based mostly on the Toyota Fortuner and developed by Toyota Customizing & Development (TCD) Asia’s motorsport division, incorporates modern supplies akin to 3D-printed elements and Tafnex, a unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced polypropylene resin sheet.

Supplies and Design

The SUV’s entrance bumper and hood vents are adorned with Tafnex, whereas direct pellet-fed 3D-printed elements improve the hood air duct bezels. These supplies, developed in collaboration with Japanese corporations Mitsui Chemical compounds and ARRK Company, cut back the car’s weight and enhance efficiency. The Hyper-F Idea SUV additionally options 4 sport seats, providing a novel consumer expertise in comparison with conventional two-seater fashions.

3D Printing

TCD Asia leveraged superior 3D printing applied sciences from Mitsui Chemical compounds and its companions, together with the high-speed EXF-12 3D printer from ExtraBold Inc.

This direct pellet-fed 3D printing methodology makes use of plastic pellets to kind buildings, offering advantages over conventional 3D printing by rising plastic discharge stability and enabling the speedy creation of enormous elements.

This moldless method reduces improvement lead instances and preliminary funding prices, best for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing. Moreover, it helps sustainable manufacturing by permitting 3D-printed objects to be recycled into pellets for future use.

Tafnex Materials

Tafnex, created by Mitsui Chemical compounds, is a light-weight, inflexible, and moldable tape with customizable options, appropriate for numerous functions together with vehicles and drones. It could reinforce injected or pressed molded elements and be processed into tubes or laminated sheets. Its non-water absorbing properties keep excessive bending power underwater and in high-temperature environments.

These superior supplies and the Hyper-F Idea SUV shall be showcased on the Bangsaen Grand Prix 2024 and the Bangkok Auto Salon 2024, highlighting their potential in automotive design and manufacturing.

Filed in Transportation. Learn extra about 3D Printing and Toyota.