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3D printing technology reference notes that Yang Feng, the director of the Yangwang Research Institute at BYD, introduced the development process of the U9X body 3D printing technology on October 30. He stated that this is a groundbreaking exploration aimed at future manufacturing paradigms.
In the face of challenges regarding the vehicle’s extreme speed and ultimate handling, the body design utilizes the most advanced and cutting-edge technologies and materials. 3D printing technology provides the body with a high degree of structural freedom and integration, achieving ultra-high track-level stiffness, exceptional collision safety, and industry-leading lightweight coefficients.
The Yangwang team uses lightweight materials from the aerospace field as a research basis, and has customized a high-strength aluminum alloy that boasts three times the yield strength of traditional cast aluminum alloys, perfectly balancing the contradiction between lightweight and structural performance.
During the R&D process, the team pioneered “multidimensional surface parametric modeling technology”, overcoming the challenges of complex freeform surface continuous transitions, and achieving aerospace-grade topological optimization structures—the globally first released Printing HyperCell hyperdimensional honeycomb technology, which enhances torsional stiffness by over 200% compared to solid structures at the same weight through the synergy of cavities and ribs.
Using laser selective melting technology, 0.03mm-level micron precision printing is achieved. Through dynamic compensation algorithms for process parameters, the thermal deformation issues of large-size thin-walled structures are resolved, ensuring that the tolerance of critical mounting surfaces of the body is ≤0.1mm, reaching the manufacturing precision level of aerospace engine blades.
The vehicle’s super strong torsional stiffness allows the 3D printed body to significantly enhance dynamic response during high-speed cornering at 400km/h+, while the ultra-freedom 3D printed body structure perfectly matches and efficiently links all systems, achieving deep coupling of the entire vehicle and greatly improving track-level handling stability.
Thanks to the systematic breakthroughs in materials-structure-process, the U9Xtreme body won the only award for Chinese brands at the European Body Conference, receiving the highest score from the jury for international authoritative recognition. This breakthrough not only validates the engineering feasibility of aerospace-grade manufacturing processes in the automotive field but also opens up innovative pathways for the subsequent automotive application of aerospace technologies. Source – 3D Printing Technology Reference