British automotive manufacturer McLaren has launched its new W1 hybrid hypercar. Titanium 3D printing was used to manufacture the font uprights and wishbones of the W1’s advanced suspension system.
This is the first McLaren hypercar released since the company partnered with Divergent Technologies to utilize its 3D printing-based Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS). The automated hardware-software assembly platform is used to produce Divergent’s Czinger sports cars, including the 3D printed 21C hypercar.
According to McLaren, additive manufacturing unlocked notable weight savings for the W1, supporting the company’s “relentless pursuit of lightweight.” This has resulted in an overall vehicle weight of 1,399kg, reportedly enabling a ‘best-in-class’ power-to-weight ratio of 911PS/tonne, the highest of any McLaren supercar.
McLaren’s 3D printing-enabled lightweight engineering supports the W1’s high-performance acceleration. The car can achieve 0-200km/h (0-124mph) in 5.8 seconds and 0-300km/h (0-186mph) in less than 12.7 seconds. Its top speed is electronically limited to 350km/h (218mph).
The W1 is the latest addition to McLaren’s well-known ‘1’ car family, which already includes the company’s F1 and P1 models. With just 399 set to be built, the new hypercar is advertised as the most powerful in its class against core competitors. Prices start at £2m before taxes, and all models have already been allocated to customers.
McLaren adopts additive manufacturing
The W1 integrates an all-new MHP-8 V8 combustion engine with an integrated electric motor. When combined, the new hypercar boasts an impressive 1,275 horsepower.
Central to the new car’s stability and performance is its 3D printing-enabled advanced suspension setup. The front and rear double wishbone, rear active drop links, adaptive damping and McLaren Race Active Chassis Control III active heave suspension reportedly enhance control and comfort when cornering at high speeds.
While the 3D printing technology used to produce the W1’s front suspension uprights and wishbones is yet to be confirmed, it follows the car manufacturer’s adoption of Divergent’s DAPS production system.
In July, McLaren signed a multi-year collaboration with the California-based industrial digital manufacturing firm. The partnership aims to improve vehicle performance, sustainability, and production efficiency by leveraging additive manufacturing.
Combining metal 3D printing with AI-powered generative design technologies, DAPS unlocks rapid design iteration, allowing multiple car models to be made on the same machine.
According to McLaren, this technology will allow more complex designs to be integrated into vehicle architectures while unlocking manufacturing efficiencies and supporting a more sustainable supply chain.
The company stated that it will initially use DAPS to 3D print chassis components for its next generation of supercars, enabling weight reductions and improved dynamic performance.
The agreement reportedly marks the beginning of a relationship to promote greater adoption of DAPS within the automotive industry.
Michael Leiters, CEO of McLaren Automotive, commented that the technology’s weight-saving potential “will ultimately benefit the driving experience of our customers and support McLaren’s mission to push the boundaries of performance.”
Divergent CEO Kevin Czinger noted that the collaboration “speaks to McLaren’s commitment to adopting the highest performance technology to push the envelope on customer experience.” He added, “DAPS offers automotive manufacturers the means to harness computing power to deliver fully optimized, digitally manufactured structures with unparalleled design freedom.”
Czinger’s Hyper GT and 21C hypercar models are built using DAPS technology. The latter features an almost fully DAPS-3D printed chassis and suspension system, excluding parts such as shock absorbers.
The 21C’s V8 engine is boosted by electric motors held in place by a 3D printed ‘MotorNode.’ Also made using DAPS are the ‘BrakeNodes,’ which allow calipers to be integrated into its brake uprights. This reportedly yields 40 to 50% part count reductions and 40% weight savings.
3D printing for automotive applications
While many car makers heavily rely on 3D printing for research and development, high-volume production of end-use parts is yet to see widespread adoption.
In a presentation at a recent AMUK Members Forum, Luke Fox, an Additive Manufacturing Technical Specialist at British automotive firm Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), noted that the firm primarily 3D prints plastic functional vehicle prototypes. This reportedly accelerates the car testing process, while offering sustainable benefits that support efforts to comply with environmental legislation.
Elsewhere, German car manufacturer Volkswagen Group, Europe’s largest carmaker, has adopted metal 3D printing to optimize its vehicle production lines. Last year, the company acquired a second MetalFAB 3D printer from Additive Industries. In combination with the MetalFAB automated Powder Load Tool and Powder Recovery Station, the 3D printer reportedly improves production efficiency and enhances safety by eliminating manual processes.
This added to Volkswagen’s existing metal 3D printing capabilities, which included an existing MetalFAB 3D printer. Back in 2018, the company opened a 3D printing center which leveraged various metal 3D printers to produce automotive components.
Notably, the car maker achieved 650% cost reductions on a 3D printed tooling nozzle for its Tiguan production line. The fully automated MetalFAB system reportedly condensed manufacturing lead time to two days, enabling the production of 48 parts in a single 15-hour build.
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Featured image shows a front view of the McLaren W1 hypercar. Image via McLaren.
