Porsche offers 3D printed customizable seats for its sports cars

A growing number of automotive companies are turning to 3D printing to create parts for their vehicles. Whether it’s for rapid prototyping, tooling applications or creating custom-made parts, the applications are wide-ranging. In fact, the consulting firm specialized in the 3D printing market, SmarTech Publishings, released a report that predicts that this market will reach $5.3 billion in value by 2023. Going beyond rapid prototyping and tooling, a large stream of revenue should be generated by the production of end use parts.

We have seen many developments in the sector, including the most recent collaboration between 3DGBIRE, Ultimaker and BAC. The three companies partnered to develop over 40 parts for BAC’s Mono R supercar. For luxury and sports cars in particular, 3D printing can create tailor-made parts, well-suited for customers looking for a high level of personalization. This is also what Porsche is offering with its 3D printed bodyform full-bucket seats. In order to offer maximum comfort to drivers, these seats are completely customizable.

Image via Porsche

For a long time now, professional racing cars have offered customizable seats. So why not bring the concept to luxury and sports cars using 3D printing? Michael Stefner, Member of the Executive Board for R&D at Porsche explains: “The seat is the interface between the human and the vehicle, and is thus important for precise, sporty handling. That’s why personalized seat shells customized for the driver have been standard in race cars for a long time now.”