How 3D Printing is enabling supercar design and production

3DGBIRE and Briggs Automotive Company announce Additive Manufacturing Partnership.

Company
Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) LTD

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) LTD is the British manufacturer behind the world’s only road-legal, single-seater supercars – the BAC Mono and BAC Mono R. The Liverpool-based business was founded in 2009 by brothers Neill and Ian Briggs, who set about providing the world with a road vehicle that offers the most authentic and pure driving experience possible. Mono and Mono R implement the very latest racing technology and are regarded as the ultimate pieces of sporting equipment for the sport of driving. They focus solely on the person behind the wheel; race cars for the road that can be described as A-to-A vehicles, rather than
A-to-B, forget the destination, these models are all about pure driving pleasure.

Industry
Automotive 

Challenge

Previously, BAC would outsource parts to third party vendors. BAC wanted to introduce 3D Printing into their car production process, to aid them with R&D and prototyping, to manufacturing aids, to the production of end use parts.

Solution

3DGBIRE and Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) have announced their partnership to enable the continued adoption of 3D Printing. BAC began their additive manufacturing journey with the launch of the Mono R – a higher-performance, lighter and more advanced new generation of the iconic Mono. Using the combined resources of Application
Engineers from 3DGBIRE and Ultimaker, BAC were able to prototype and produce over 40 3D printed parts.

“This partnership is yet another development in the relationship between the automotive industry and additive manufacturing. The introduction of 3D Printing into the car production process has proven to be beneficial at numerous stages. From R&D and prototyping, to manufacturing aids, to the production of end use parts, 3D printing is saving businesses like BAC money and slashing lead times. This is just the tip of the iceberg, 3D Printing is becoming a prominent force in automotive manufacturing with companies like BAC leading the charge and developing new applications for the technology. We can’t wait to help BAC
further integrate 3D Printing into their business and investigate what other doors we can open with regards to manufacturing.”
Daniel Abram, General Manager - 3DGBIRE Ltd

Results

By 3D printing parts using Ultimaker S5 FFF 3D Printers, BAC has been able to reduce the design-to-manufacture timeframes of complex geometrical components and bring production in house. The versatility of Ultimaker’s Open Source Material Alliance allowed 3DGBIRE to facilitate BAC with DSM industrial grade high-performance polymers to produce bespoke production parts for each vehicle, at a reduced cost.

Costs

“It’s been fantastic, it allows us to create something and have it ready to test in a matter of hours is game changing forBAC. We’re already using it in all aspects of production from R&D to prototyping to end use parts. 3D printing in-house has had a big impact on cost savings for particular parts; for example the cost price of our wing mirrors used to be £60, now we can print them in two parts for just £10 total cost. 3D Printing really has been a revelation for us at BAC.” Adam Mughal, Lead 3D Designer - Briggs Automotive Company

About Ultimaker

Since 2011, Ultimaker has built an open and easy-to-use solution of 3D printers, software, and materials that enable professional designers and engineers to innovate every day. Ultimaker is the market leader in desktop 3D printing. From offices in the Netherlands,
New York, Boston, and Singapore - plus production facilities in Europe and the US - its
global team of over 400 employees work together to accelerate the world’s transition to
local, digital manufacturing.

About 3DGBIRE

The opportunity to work with BAC has been made possible because of the collaboration with 3DGBIRE, who first loaned an Ultimaker S5 printer to BAC. 3DGBIRE are the UK and Ireland’s premium professional 3D printing experts, supplying printers, service, support, training and other market-leading products within the 3D printing industry. They are focused on helping businesses integrate 3D printing into their workflow with the intention of reducing production costs, supporting manufacturing innovation and reducing lead times. For all your technical support or warranty questions, please reach out and we will be happy to assist.