Adoption of additive manufacturing at Stellantis Group continues to grow, this time via innovative 3DFashion technology from Stratasys.
With a new official message exalting its feline style, the new PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT heralds a new era and embodies the Brand’s vision for future electric vehicles. The vehicle features dozens of innovative technologies, including a 3D printed cockpit and revolutionary interior design featuring the use of innovative 3D printing on textile technology, in collaboration between Stratasys and Peugeot.
The first PEUGEOT Design Manifesto led by Matthias Hossann embodies the major change of the Brand. The name PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT (or “Inceptio” in Latin) means “the beginning”. It summarizes the ambition of this PEUGEOT manifesto to propel the driver into a new dimension, between dream and reality, promising intense emotions. Its ambition is to bring most of its innovations to production starting as early as 2025.
“PEUGEOT is changing, but the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT remains unmistakeably a PEUGEOT,” said Hossann, PEUGEOT Design Director. “It expresses the timeless feline attraction of the Brand and shows how optimistic we are about the future of the car and the emotions it provides. Bright and full of light, the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT reinvents the spatial experience of driving while illustrating some of our thinking behind reducing PEUGEOT’s carbon footprint by more than 50% by 2030. The transformation of the Brand concerns all aspects of the design, production and life of tomorrow’s PEUGEOT. Design is an integral part of this transformation.“
3D printing is growing at Stellantis
The Stellantis group was formed in 2021 on the basis of a 50–50 cross-border merger between the Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the French PSA Group. The FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automotive) Group was itself formed by the merger between the Italian Fiat Group, which includes the brands Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Iveco, and the American group Chrysler, which includes Dodge and Jeep. Fiat was Italy’s first adopter of 3D printing for prototyping, and FCA’s activities are mainly concentrated in the Fiat Design for Additive Program at the company’s factory in Turin.
PSA’s brands include Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall and its additive activities have revolved around custom parts and accessories for the DS and Peugeot lines of products. PSA was also an early investor in Divergent, setting in place a collaboration with the 3D printed hypercar company to develop a new method for mass-producing more efficient cars using AM. Divergent has been using (and co-developing SLM Solutions’ largest format metal PBF systems (the NXG series).
Both Jeep and Fiat use HP Multi Jet Fusion technology for serial production. Jeep says it uses the technology for an average of four to five print jobs per week, while Fiat relies on external service providers, such as Quickparts, for short SLA and SLS production runs. Ferrari and Alfa Romeo are generally quiet on their own use of AM, however the Ferrari F1 team recently revealed it had made massive use of AM for the 2022 racecar’s ICE power unit.
Velvet meets 3D printing
One of the key innovations for the PEUGEOT INCEPTION CONCEPT’s interiors has been achieved via an innovative 3D printing and material approach. The seats and floor are covered with a very special velvet, made of 100% recycled polyester, with a very metallic sheen to play with the light diffused by the glass capsule.
To complement the new views offered by the postures of the seats and the clear view towards the road, this velvet is extended onto the floor. It is then printed with 3D patterns to act as a floor mat. The continuity between the seats and the floor can be achieved with a single material. Developed as a collaboration between Stratasys and Peugeot, the 3D printing on this flexible textile is revolutionary and 100% recyclable.
The Stratasys 3DFashion technology used here allows direct-to-textile printing in full color and clear print enabling the creation of spectacular designs and fantastic optical illusionary effects on various types of textiles including garments, footwear and luxury accessories. 3DFashion technology enables optimization of the absorption rate mechanism allowing for perfect adhesion on a variety of fabric types.
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