Ok so not specifically about your car at the moment, but some of the headlines I am seeing lately certainly lend to my earlier posts about the benefits of distributed / hyper-local manufacturing and how we could start to see more and more manufacturers looking distributed manufacturing with 3D printing.

Case in point: Daimler Truck and 3D Systems Partner to Decentralize Spare Parts with 3D Printing

The key point in the article that really underscores this : “The newly developed solution enables certified 3D printing partners to manufacture a variety of spare parts on-site, including underhood components and cabin interior elements such as pins, covers, and inserts. By decentralizing the production process, service partners can achieve greater flexibility and efficiency, cutting the time required to obtain parts by up to 75%. This reduction in wait times leads to substantial indirect cost savings for commercial truck, bus, and touring coach companies by minimizing the downtime associated with vehicle maintenance”

I may have also mentioned in one of my earlier posts about 3D printing in space, or how some of the private aerospace companies are starting to use 3D printing as well. This just highlights the fact that advances in both 3D printing technology and material science are able to produce quality, high strength parts while providing exceptional opportunities to drive value and innovation.

Just ask Ford’s F1 team.

According to TopGear.com – “Ford’s motorsport team has 3D-printed over 1,000 parts in preparation for its 2026 F1 debut with Red Bull, creatively testing them with methods borrowed from aerospace.”

My point in noting these tidbits of info are that here at EIB3D we believe that the commercial uptake in use of 3D printing technologies will have trickle benefits down to the consumer in many ways – a lot of them at the heart of what we are “driving” at (sorry had to be done 🙂 ).

Re-use, less waste, lower transportation costs, and improvements in the right to repair should all add up to better value, lower costs, and reduction of environmental impact.