Authored by Nitesh

How rapid prototyping is changing EV manufacturing

The Federation of Automobile Dealer Association (FADA) shared details of the growth of sales in the EV sector, with EV sales increasing threefold from 1,34,821 units a year ago to 4,29,217 units in FY22. This is just one of the countless statistics and studies that indicate the future of EV manufacturing in the automobile sector.

This growing demand and changes in the market dynamics are giving birth to numerous EV startups, and the need of the hour for EV companies is to come up with innovative and user-centric solutions. But making a change in the production line or testing a new feature or change means potentially spending tens of lakhs or crores of rupees and dedicating an R&D team to the project.

This was the traditional way of coming up with something new in the automobile sector, but rapid prototyping has changed it all, especially in the 2 and 3-wheeler EV space.

Building fast with Rapid Prototyping

Rapid prototyping for electric two wheelers has made it effortless for EV companies to create and test models of EV parts or complete bodies. You can create models of parts and test them in days rather than months or years (traditionally) using CAD models.

Benefits of Rapid Prototyping in EV manufacturing

There are numerous rapid prototyping advantages that are changing the EV manufacturing industry:

  1. Cost savings: To start with, 3D printing offers cost-effective visualisation of your end product. You can replace the cost of manually creating parts with new dies and machines. It also helps you select low-cost and lighter materials.
  2. Faster time to market: Jumping from prototype to production is effortless with 3D printing. You can develop an idea, test and start manufacturing (for example motor manufacturing) in days compared to multiple months or years with traditional manufacturing methods.
  3. Cutting edge manufacturing materials: Additive manufacturing, for example, supports Aluminum, polymers, carbon fibre, and other metals for production. You can choose the best materials for your EV manufacturing while reducing costs and increasing efficiency. This is especially beneficial for EV motor manufacturers.
  4. Customisations: Customising parts, shapes, designs, or other elements of your EV manufacturing is effortless and quick with 3D printing. CAD models can be customised in different software, and prototypes can be printed per specific needs.
  5. Lightweight components: 3D printing makes it possible to reduce the overall weight of your EV with lightweight materials without you having to compromise on stability, performance, or safety. It increases overall vehicle efficiency.
  6. Stock and spare part issues: You can print spare parts without investing in huge inventories. CAD models can be saved electronically and used to print parts based on demand.

Steps used in Rapid Prototyping

It is worthwhile to know an example of the processes used in rapid prototyping for electric two wheelers:

  • Creating a CAD model
  • Conversion of file format to .stl, .obj, etc that can be used by slicer software
  • Slicing the 3d object into layers and generating instruction file (g-code)
  • Manufacturing

How can Karkhana.io help?

With countless benefits, rapid prototyping for electric two wheelers represents the future of EV manufacturingKarkhana.io has been helping EV companies leverage this trend to increase the efficiency of their EV manufacturing and production processes.

This includes helping companies manufacture chassis of electric vehicles, battery boxes, charging enclosures and more. We have also performed profile bending operations on pipes, tubes, and channel-section beams to produce a chassis of desired shapes. Another example is working with EV charging companies to produce busbars of quantity 500 – 1000 per month.

In terms of companies, we have collaborated with buymyEV (manufacturers of EVs) for manufacturing of E2W chassis, MAGNES motors for manufacturing of Electric Go-kart chassis, EXPONENT for manufacturing of the nozzles and conducting a micro channel weldment, amongst others.

Want to experience barrier-free automobile manufacturing? Start by registering on our digital platform, by simply uploading your designs. You can get every aspect of your manufacturing completed.

We take care of the entire procedure, starting from quick design validation, manufacturability feedback via our expert in-house engineers, project management, transparent pricing, quality checks and logistics. 

The process also includes regular quality checks, audits of suppliers, order updates and more. Talk to us to know more about how we can help you speed up manufacturing.

We have an extensive, cutting-edge experience with all manufacturing services that include CNC machining, 3D printing, Sheet metal fabricationInjection moulding, and Vacuum casting.