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From VR to 3D printing: technologies transforming car manufacturing

From VR to 3D printing: technologies transforming car manufacturing

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A confluence of emerging digital technologies is revolutionising the entire production lifecycle of a car. Manufacturing processes are being fast-tracked by Virtual Reality (VR), robotics and artificial intelligence as well as the latest developments in 3D printing and computer-aided design (CAD). This raft of new disruptive technologies are impacting almost every stage of car manufacturing, from the development of the earliest design prototypes through to the finished vehicles rolling off the production line. “Competition is constant and fierce in the product development industry, so every ounce of performance advantage, cost savings and productivity gain matters,” explains Sean Young, Manager of Industry Segments, HP. “The ability for design data to travel from atoms to bits and back again is going to drive exponential productivity gains, and fundamentally re-shape our world.” From the role of VR in the design and product development of the latest McLaren supercars through to the use of 3D CAD and 3D printing innovations in mass-market vehicle production, automation is helping to accelerate productivity and innovation across the automotive industry. As we enter the 5G era and cars become increasingly connected and autonomous, the manufacturing process becomes more complicated - but production cycles are set to get much faster.

Faster, connected, automated manufacturing Recent research from Jabil confirms that automotive product development cycles have been accelerating steadily in recent years – with the biggest jump in the 12-to-18-month go-to-market product cycle range - bringing the automotive product development cycle closer to that of the consumer electronics industry. Jabil reported that 56% of respondents had seen their automotive product development cycles shorten over the last five years.1 It found that, in addition to meeting changing consumer needs and demands, the key drivers of shorter go-to-market timelines were advances in technology, the increasing convergence of automotive and consumer electronics and expanded manufacturing capabilities. The report also notes how consumer electronics “tend to have significantly shorter product development cycles compared to traditional automotive,” concluding that the car industry is currently “at a crossroads, which is always rife with both risks and opportunities.”

Connectivity and digitalisation is #1 trend KPMG’s Global Automotive Executive Survey 2019 reports that ‘connectivity and digitalisation’ is the number one key trend in car manufacturing, with 59% of industry executives ranking it as the most important automotive trend up to 2030.2

Moreover, the digitalisation, connectivity and automation of the car manufacturing process is being accelerated by new disruptive entrants to the market, such as Tesla. Unlike traditional car manufacturing in which the emphasis was always heavily on the end product, Tesla releases frequent software updates to constantly change and improve the functionality of the cars they make. Its cars are continuously modified in constant iterations throughout the design and production process.

“ The ability for design data to travel from atoms to bits and back again is going to drive exponential productivity gains”

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From VR to 3D printing: technologies transforming car manufacturing

3D printing and rapid digital prototyping One of the key differences between automotive and consumer electronics manufacturing is the fact that the electronic components, software and networks powering tomorrow’s cars will all be held to far higher safety standards than those that revolutionised the mobile phone industry. For that reason, rapid and reliable digital prototyping and the designing, testing and manufacturing of new component technologies is a major product development challenge for all players in the car industry. One of the most innovative technologies helping to speed up prototyping in new car manufacturing is additive manufacturing, with the 3D printing of car parts really beginning to take off. Already offering many of the world’s leading car manufacturers huge advantages, 3D printing enables fast, more seamless and bespoke production. Volkswagen, for example, is now 3D printing metal car parts at scale, using HP’s latest Metal Jet printers to produce vehicle components more efficiently than ever before.3 “HP’s Metal Jet 3D printing platform unlocks the speed, quality, and economics to enable our customers to completely rethink the way they design, manufacture, and deliver new solutions in the digital age,” explains Dion Weisler, CEO and president of HP.

The virtual symbiosis of digital twinning The future of car manufacturing will be defined by the production of increasingly connected, frequently modified cars. And as ‘Industry 4.0’ gathers momentum over the next decade there are a number of other core technologies that will inform and facilitate this process. The process known as ‘digital twinning’, for example, sits at the heart of the automotive industry and allows car designers and manufacturers to seamlessly blend the physical and digital worlds. This virtual symbiosis enables the “convergence of existing gaps between physical and virtual versions of product prototypes, shop floor and actual vehicle on the road.”4 As Shane Wall, CTO, HP Inc and Global Head of HP Labs explains in the latest HP 2019 Megatrends report: “When machines can operate and learn in response to the data they sense and capture, it becomes possible to create virtual models of the machines which enable us to predict, simulate and optimise their operations in environments before they are there. “This concept, called the digital twin, enables virtual machines that precisely mimic their real-life counterparts. Companies that invest in digital twins to virtualise equipment prototyping and deployment will decrease energy and raw material use while driving up efficiency in the real machines that come from the process.”5

From VR to 3D printing: technologies transforming car manufacturing

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VR, AR and enhanced visualization Highly detailed and enhanced visualizations of the virtual car throughout the design and production process are now made possible by the latest VR and augmented reality (AR) technologies. AR and VR technologies have become a fundamental6 part of the automotive production process and a number of new initiatives7 and partnerships8 have emerged in the space. For example, McLaren, the world-renowned sports car brand, is heavily investing in VR to fast-track the design process.9 The supercar company uses the videogames industry’s favourite design tools such as Unreal Engine VR to visualize its cars at near-photorealistic quality via a powerwall or a VR headset, in addition to developing its own unique VR sketch tool to meet its latest design needs. “We want to believe in what we see and then we can confidently make the right design decision,” explains Mark Roberts, McLaren’s design operations manager. The supercar manufacturer also uses VR to let manufacturers better explore prototype parts, to give specialist virtual training to dealerships and to offer customers the ability to visualize (and design) their dream cars.

Digital efficiencies in product lifecycle management As automotive production times speed up and digital twinning sees the virtual and physical aspects of car manufacturing merge the need to streamline all processes becomes increasingly critical. This is why there is such a strong growth predicted in the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) market – valued at USD 46 billion in 2018 and expected to reach USD 67.3 billion by 202410– along with an ever-growing need for more efficient digital products, cloud services and printing solutions. And it is why car manufacturers are rapidly embracing the digital efficiencies on offer from the latest VR, AR, 3D printing and computer-aided design technologies – enabling them to achieve an increasingly fast, efficient and agile design and production cycle.11 “The next massive technology disruption, Industry 4.0, is upon us, and will result in massive productivity improvement and exponential acceleration of the design process,” says Sean Young. “We are standing at the precipice of fundamental change to the way we work, and the smartest among us are already getting ahead of this tidal wave to develop and sustain a competitive advantage.”

How HP can help across the lifecycle of the car

HP has a rich history in product development and has been a leading technology vendor servicing the car manufacturing industry for decades. Not only do we understand the key challenges that automotive designers, engineers and manufacturers face to remain competitive, our technologies help them to innovate and stay ahead of the curve.

1. Jabil, Managing Automotive Technology Trends, December 2018: https://www.jabil.com/insights/blog-main/automotive-industry-trends-point-to-shorter-product-development-cycles.html#scroll-download-form2. KPMG, Global Automotive Executive Summary 2019, January 2019: https://moien.lu/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Global-Automotive-Executive-Survey-2019.pdf3. Internet of Business, Volkswagen to 3D print metal car parts at scale using HP, Sept 2018:https://internetofbusiness.com/volkswagen-gears-up-to-use-3d-printing-to-mass-produce-metal-parts/4. SMMT, Role of Digital Twin in Automotive Industry, December 2018: https://www.smmt.co.uk/2018/12/role-of-digital-twin-in-automotive-industry/5. HP’s 2019 Megatrends reveal how technology is shaping a new era -https://garage.ext.hp.com/us/en/innovation/HP-megatrends-2019-shane-wall.html6. My business future, VR and the future of automotive, Feb 2019: https://mybusinessfuture.com/en/virtual-reality-drives-the-automotive-industry-into-the-future/7. Ricardo, VR app, May 2019: https://ricardo.com/news-and-media/news-and-press/ricardo-to-launch-vr-app-for-global-engineering-collaboration-at-vienna-motor-symposium8. Enterprise-CIO, VR collaboration, Aug 2018: https://www.enterprise-cio.com/news/2018/aug/15/new-collaboration-aims-explore-vr-and-ar-engineering-and-automotive-design/9. At GDC 2019 You’ll See How McLaren Uses VR To Fast-Track Supercar Design https://www.gdconf.com/news/gdc-2019-youll-see-how-mclaren-uses-vr-fast-track-supercar-design10. Mordor Intelligence, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Software Market, Jan 2019: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/product-lifecycle-management-software-market11. Wired, GM’s 3-D-Printed Seat Bracket Heralds a Future, Oct 2018: https://www.wired.com/story/general-motors-auto-industry-3d-printing-additive-manufacturing/

Through years of focus on CAD innovation - from 3D CAD modelling to simulation, rendering and more - HP has a proven track record of helping the world’s top automotive manufacturing companies with growth and differentiation, product innovation and supply chain effectiveness.

HP Z Workstations are the automotive industry’s leading personal computer of choice. HP delivers the most powerful technologies to support every stage of PLM (product lifecycle management), from the designer’s initial conceptual sketches to detailed 3D CAD models, 3D printed prototypes through to high definition design reviews in virtual reality. HP’s technology powers the design and production of some of the world’s most cutting-edge cars.

c-06429375, August 2019