Hybrid 3D printing/machining center enables custom vehicle restoration project

In June 2021, multi-axis machining specialist CMS SpA (Zogno, Italy and Caledonia, Mich., U.S.) officially debuted Kreator, its hybrid composite large-format 3D printer and multi-axis milling machine. In July, the first commercial project developed with this technology was announced, in partnership with fabricator Bercella S.r.l. (Varano de’ Melegari, Italy).

According to Laura Sommariva, junior communication specialist at Bercella, CMS and Bercella began working together about four years ago, with discussions about ways to innovate the composite layup process and shorten the supply chain, specifically for automotive composite parts. These conversations resulted in Bercella partnering with CMS during the development of the Kreator hybrid printer/machine center, with Bercella contributing knowledge and experience in industrial use cases.

“The goal of the partnership was that Bercella would be the industry partner who helped CMS bring their machine to market,” Sommariva says.

 

Hybrid LFAM/milling machine

The resulting machine is Kreator. Developed alongside Fraunhofer IWU and part of CMS’ Ares machining center line, Kreator combines large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) with milling. The goal is to print composite components such as tooling and jigs and then immediately finish the parts within the same machining center — saving both time and the labor required to move parts from one machine to another.

The pilot version of the machine, launched this year, is a single-screw extrusion printer compatible with 40% carbon fiber-filled polyamide 6 (PA6). Additional fiber lengths and resins, including thermoplastics, are currently being qualified, and capabilities such as larger build volume or dual heads for simultaneous printing and milling are being developed.

 

First use case: Carbon fiber vehicle restoration

The first project CMS and Bercella undertook is called Restomod Maserati, a challenge launched by Tomaso Trussardi to the Motor Valley for restoring his Maserati 3200 GT, for which Bercella is tasked with delivering new, reengineered carbon fiber composite body components.

For the car, called Restomod Maserati MV 3200 GTC, Bercella redesigned 26 total body components — including the door, roof, hood and front and rear bumpers — reimagining them with wider, more modern designs. Each component is built from carbon fiber prepreg, manufactured via hand layup on a 3D-printed mold, then cured via autoclave. Using a CMS Kreator machine, 20 individual molds were printed from 40% carbon fiber-filled PA6.

“This is the first car made with this technology,” says Franco Bercella, founder of Bercella S.r.l., in a press release. “It is an important moment, as we are making the ‘zero’ in the composite materials sector.” The CMS Kreator process enables zero-waste manufacturing of custom molds, Sommariva explains, and also saves time and money during production because 3D printing and milling occur within the same work cell.

A partially finished version of the vehicle was displayed at a Motor Valley event in the beginning of July, and is expected to be fully completed by the end of this year. The ultimate goal for the partnership is to use 3D-printed molds to produce an entire carbon fiber restoration vehicle.

“We are particularly proud to be part of this extraordinary project. Sustainability and production flexibility are the keywords that we shared with Franco Bercella years ago while talking about the enormous opportunities that a particular additive manufacturing solution for large formats could have brought to the composite materials sector. The Restomod project begins to make us touch these opportunities firsthand,” says Giovanni Negri, CEO of CMS SpA.