I was wondering if anybody has thought about getting a 3d printer for doing dash swaps or custom interior ideas.

The economics of 3D printing are great for a small area. Many affordable machines will do less than a cubic foot. So instrument panels are out of the question. I suppose the car companies have rigged up a system though....

If they can do THIS, a printed dash would be easy.

i would love a printed center console surround that i could use as a buck for vacuum forming

quote Originally posted by Gall757: The economics of 3D printing are great for a small area. Many affordable machines will do less than a cubic foot. So instrument panels are out of the question. I suppose the car companies have rigged up a system though....

With some design work and joint engineering, a 3D printer could produce pieces which could then be joined together to make a much larger assembly than what the printer can make. The joints could be by screws and T-nuts, glue, pop rivets, etc. The printer could easily create alignment pegs and holes...

Ya I figured it would help people blend different concepts together to make one and when it's down just sand it to perfection. Than should be easy for people to build one and make them for others possibly

If someone's going to MAKE a Fiero interior component, I think the market for a 2 or 3 piece DURABLE center console skeleton is much bigger than the market for a replacement dash. And that's the sort of thing that a 3D printer could do an outstanding job of.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 01-27-2015).]