With the help of Boeing, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and other partners, Ford has developed the Ford Freeform Fabrication Technology (F3T), which aims to enable the delivery of a sheet metal part within 3 business days from the time the CAD model of the part is received.
With the current technology, parts are delivered anywhere from 2-6 months using conventional methods.
Through the F3T process, a piece of sheet metal is clamped around its edges and formed into a 3D shape by two stylus-type tools working in unison on opposite sides of the sheet metal blank. Similar to a digital printer, after the CAD data of a part are received, computer-generated tool paths control the F3T machine to form the sheet metal part into its final shape to the required dimensional tolerances and surface finish.
F3T is also expected to have broad applications outside of the automotive industry, including use in the aerospace, defence, transportation and appliance industries.
With the current technology, parts are delivered anywhere from 2-6 months using conventional methods.
Through the F3T process, a piece of sheet metal is clamped around its edges and formed into a 3D shape by two stylus-type tools working in unison on opposite sides of the sheet metal blank. Similar to a digital printer, after the CAD data of a part are received, computer-generated tool paths control the F3T machine to form the sheet metal part into its final shape to the required dimensional tolerances and surface finish.
F3T is also expected to have broad applications outside of the automotive industry, including use in the aerospace, defence, transportation and appliance industries.