Rivian and Ford are expanding their use of 3D printing in factories and labs, according to a CNBC report from a tour of Rivian's operations in suburban Detroit.
Rivian has spent more than $5 million on 3D-printing machines, and its materials costs for the operations have grown to about $1.7 million a year. Jared Beck, head of Rivian's additive manufacturing, said the machines typically pay for themselves within a year. He said the technology lowers supplier tooling costs, streamlines logistics and cuts production times for some parts from weeks to days, if not hours. "We're going to be democratizing 3D printing for the entire company," Beck told CNBC.
Rivian is adding machines that can build flexible silicone parts. It is also installing a bay of printers at its plant in Normal, Illinois, so employees can print parts on demand.
Ford has used 3D printing at many of its plants. Gregory Foresi, a Ford mechanical engineer who ran the company's 3D-printing lab at the plant from 2024 until last month, said a vending machine for 3D-printed parts near Dearborn, Michigan, lets team leaders access stocked parts instead of keeping them in the lab. Ford said it expects 3D labs at more than 23 plants by the end of this year, and its program has more than 200 machines.
General Motors has used 3D-printed parts for low-volume products, research and development, and inside plants. The company uses 135 printed components for its Cadillac Celestiq, according to the report.