From Corvette to COVID-19 response: How 3D printing transforms technology for General Motors

GM additive manufacturing team members work at the under-construction Additive Innovation Center. (Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for General Motors.)

General Motors typically relies on 3D printing to help launch new vehicles, such as the first mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the same technology played a critical role in helping the team transition from making vehicles to medical devices in a matter of days.

“3D printing helps us design and build parts and products faster and in ways we previously couldn’t,” said Kevin Quinn, GM director of additive design and manufacturing. “It’s already having a positive impact on how we develop and build vehicles, like Corvette, and it’s allowed us to apply our mass production expertise to medical supplies and devices.”

The first time a physical version of the mid-engine Corvette came together, 75% of the parts were 3D-printed. No other GM "slow build" design and engineering evaluation has featured this amount or level of detail in terms of its 3D-printed components. This allowed the team to envision what a production vehicle would look like and how all the parts would fit together. They were also able to diagnose and correct issues early on, reducing development time.

3D printing was also used extensively to test and implement Corvette-first features like right-hand drive for international markets and the retractable hardtop.

GM’s expertise in additive manufacturing in turn enabled the company to quickly shift from its core automotive business to medical production.

“We could not have responded to the coronavirus as quickly as we did without 3D printing,” said Ron Daul, GM director of AM. “The investment in both our AM facilities and training the team to leverage 3D printing for development has enabled us to pivot to making ventilators and personal protective equipment virtually overnight.”

To read the full story, visit https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2020/jun/0618-3d.html.

Cynthia Holt loads a sanitizing machine with Level 1 face masks at the GM manufacturing facility in Warren, Mich. (Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors.)