By Industrial Print Magazine Staff
The range of three-dimensional (3D) printing continues to grow with product advancements and market adoption. One key area taking advantage of the technology is the automotive industry.
Subsets of automotive, like racing teams, constantly look for new design and production techniques to improve the safety, performance, and weight reduction of their cars.
On its website, Mimaki USA, Inc. presents the case study of Stewart-Haas Racing. The company partnered with Autodesk to reduce the weight of a brake pedal for a Ford Mustang driven by Cole Custer using Fusion360 software’s “generative design” feature.
Generative design is a design exploration process that utilizes artificial intelligence. Designers set parameters such as function, space requirements, materials, manufacturing methods, and cost, along with design goals, and Fusion360 quickly generates design alternatives, guiding them through possible solutions. The software can then iterate through the testing process, learning “which design alternatives will succeed, and which will fail” to arrive at the optimal solution.
As a result, the brake pedal’s new design reduced weight by 32 percent and increased stiffness by 50 percent, provided that it could withstand braking actions equivalent to 3,000 laps of a driving course . It was manufactured using a metal 3D printer after support material placement and slicing were also completed using Fusion360.
Autodesk printed a model of the brake pedal on the Mimaki 3DUJ-553 at its Technology Center in Boston, MA to visualize the complex internal structure of the final metal part. The data was repaired using Netfabb Premium, which is compatible with the Mimaki 3DUJ series of 3D printers.
“For visualization, you can section the model in the software or show it with transparency on screen. However, a physical model is best for comprehension, with the parts separated through clear and color materials,” comments a representative from Autodesk.
A member of Mimaki’s global marketing department says software like Fusion360 is revolutionizing the way designers approach their work. “With this technology, designers can accomplish a variety of functional goals, such as automatically generating intricate geometries that were previously thought impossible. In order to effectively convey the significance and physical aspects of these designs, visual mockups like this brake pedal, can be incredibly useful. These mockups not only aid the designer, but also help all parties involved, especially during internal and external presentations, to better understand the project. Currently, the only practical way to create a physical model like this is through full-color 3D printing,” states the post.
Learn more about 3D printing, specifically for automotive in the November issue of Industrial Print Magazine.
Dec2025, Industrial Print Magazine
