Cadillac Has Turned to 3D Printing for its New Luxury Sedans

The American manufacturer of high-end, luxury vehicles, Cadillac, recently unveiled the Cadillac Celestiq 2024. The company notes that this latest car, which is priced starting at $300,000, is expected to be leagues apart from many of their other models. This is notably due to the fact that it is full of new technologies, though the one that interests us in particular is 3D printing. In all, the electric sedan has a total of 115 3D printed parts. Some of these make up the structure of the vehicle, while others ensure the safety of the passengers. Moreover, the sizes of the components vary, allowing buyers choice when it customizing large parts of their car.

Cadillac isn’t the only vehicle manufacturer using 3D printing. In fact, General Motors turned towards metal additive manufacturing when it was faced with supply chain issues that were preventing it from delivering its Chevrolet Tahoe 2022. Due to a last minute change to the design, additional parts were required notably a new spoiler closeout seal. By building the parts with 3D printer, GDK was able to avoid a delay of about 30,000 cars to its customers. In other examples, the BMW i8 Roadster and the Koenigsegg CC850 also have 3D printed parts integrated. However, many manufacturers have been exploiting this technology at low volumes. In this latest news, the the high volume of 3D printed parts on the 2024 Cadillac Celestiq could open the door to new ways of designing and customizing cars.

Cadillac Celestiq console (photo credits: Cadillac)

Cadillac Turns to 3D Printing

One of the notable 3D printed parts in the vehicle is in fact the steering wheel. To make it, metal 3D printing technology was used. However, Cadillac does not mention which printer was used exactly to create the part. Nevertheless, its imposing volume required a machine that can design large models. It can be customized from its coating to its finishes. Moreover, the buyer probably has the opportunity to engrave his name on the steering wheel. In addition, the window switches, door handles and even the console decoration are also 3D printed.