Something from Nothing? GM Using “Additive Printing” for Prototype and Even Production Parts
A GM engineer works with a 3D printer at the automaker’s new Additive Industrialization Center.
At a clip too rapid for the human eye to discern, a laser beam fires into a pool of liquid polymer. Each time it does, it causes a tiny droplet of the goo to harden. Eventually, these little “pixels” start to come together, forming a solid part.
The process goes by a variety of names, including both 3D printing and additive manufacturing. It’s been around for several decades but is just beginning to take shape, much like that gooey liquid, into a serious tool for industry – as General Motors demonstrated this week with the formal opening of its new Additive Industrialization Center in Warren, Michigan.
In contrast to the modern Bimmer, the Mustang appears to be a fiercely retro throwback. Like its 1960s-era forebear, it packs a big V8 and routes power to the rear wheels alone, passing through a limited-slip differential before hitting the road through fat, sticky tires (Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, in this case). Dressed up in Twister Orange with dual white tape stripes and featuring the Mustang’s modern pony car styling, the GT500 wouldn’t look completely out of place at the 1969 NHRA Winternationals.
Powering the fast Mustang is a 5.2-liter Predator V8 engine, fitted with a cross-plane crankshaft and a 2.7-liter supercharger. That gives this car more low-end torque compared to the shrieking flat-plane engine in the GT350. The blown V8 produces 760 mustangs of its own, along with 625 lb-ft of torque – that first number is Ford’s best-ever result for a street product, eclipsing even the mighty GT supercar. It’s also the most powerful vehicle in this test, and by a big margin