Pershing GTX116 Luxury Yacht Includes 3D Printed Air Grilles

Who, lying comfortably on the beach and watching the boats on the horizon, has never dreamed of plying the seas aboard in their own luxury yacht? Know that you are not the only one. In fact, the luxury yacht market is constantly growing. In 2023, the luxury yacht market was valued at approximately $10.7B and is only expected to grow in coming years. In addition to production expenses, boats, like all means of transportation, require constant maintenance because they are constantly exposed to the saltiness of the sea, which peels away walls and rusts components. Therefore, maintenance also generates large costs.

So how can the production of such a sought-after vehicle be optimized and make it not only more efficient but also economical? To find a solution to this question, the Ferretti Group, a world leader in the production of luxury motor yachts, turned to Caracol AM to optimize the components of the Pershing GTX116. For this impressive 35-meter vehicle, the two Italian companies designed the optimization of the side air intake grilles and visors using additive manufacturing.

The air grilles created using additive manufacturing for the Pershing GTX116 (photo credits: Caracol)

The Air Grilles of the Pershing GTX116

Luxury yacht air grilles have traditionally been produced by manually laminating fiberglass on molds. This has two disadvantages. The first is the dependence on the use of numerous molds, which are necessary in most subtractive manufacturing processes. The second is related to finding highly skilled personnel. These two conditions not only increase the cost of production, but also lengthen the product delivery time.