Bentley invests in 3D printing tech to produce new components

Bentley has announced that it will be investing £3 million to double its 3D printing ability. The British marque uses 3D printing tech to manufacture tooling for historic Bentley Blower Continuation models, assisted tools, COVID-19 face shields, etc. 

With its latest investment in Additive Manufacturing (AM), the carmaker will be able to convert 3D CAD models into physical parts and help in manufacturing low volume components and enhance customer personalisation.

Bentley’s clever research and development team has found ways to create physical components for several prototype Bentleys, including full-scale powertrain models and aerodynamic wind tunnel models. The boffins at Crewe used 3D printing tech to produce parts for the record-breaking Bentley models that took part in the Pikes Peak Challenge in America. Further investment in this tech will give the engineers more room to play and innovate new parts for future groundbreaking models. 

Peter Bosch, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Manufacturing, commented: “Bentley’s approach to additive manufacturing is industry-leading and the facility is quickly becoming a cornerstone of our ‘Dream Factory’ ambitions. One of the key benefits is that it is efficiency led, cutting down on the cost and complexity of a myriad of jobs.”

“As we look to the future, there really is huge potential to where this advanced technology can progress, including having a greater ability to personalize parts for our customers and further enhance the individualisation programme offered on every car,” he concluded.