A former Lamborghini and Audi designer for Super Cars, Rafael Corazza Ronchetti is now a Professor of Industrial Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Ronchetti and a team of engineers from SCAD pulled their talents together to create The Aether, a functional EV design that is heavily influenced by the Ferrari 312 F1 and Porsche 917. To produce the car, they chose to use additive manufacturing.

Hatch Exhibits is a custom design studio that partnered with the SCAD team to rapidly print the main car panels in large format, using a Massivit 5000, an industrial-grade printer that automotive design teams can use to produce any desired geometry based on CAD designs or 3D scans.

The EV Design

In Greek mythology, Aether was considered the primordial god of the upper atmosphere and light. Along those lines, a colleague of Ronchetti’s, Owen Foster, SCAD Design Associate Chairperson, suggested that the design would appeal to “Gen Z and Gen Alpha drivers [who] are looking for something that will amplify their own unique journey through life.” 

The mission of the teams was to build a fully functional EV while incorporating sustainable production methods. This came with some challenges. One of which was how to prototype and then produce full-scale parts. The typical car manufacturer has to build multiple components and then bond them together to make a larger part. The ability to print single large panels is something that would overcome this age-old method. But, at the same time, building large components provides greater overall design accuracy. 

As mentioned, The Aether is designed to attract a younger demographic through a sleek and elegant convertible EV. This fully electric, battery-operated vehicle comes with a game-like AI dashboard meant to enhance the driver experience by matching music to specific driving patterns. The car also has transparent internal paneling for tech-savvy enthusiasts. The Aether was showcased at the 2024 Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

Large-Scale 3D Printing

The Massivit 5000 incorporates a gel-based 3D printing technology that uses UV light to cure the components on-the-fly during the printing operation. Build volume for the printer is 1450mm x 110mm x 1800mm. The machine uses a range of printing materials and layer thicknesses for a wide variety of applications. Full-scale, complex parts can be digitally fabricated within hours, rather the days or weeks needed for more conventional methods. The system also uniquely offers two print heads and the ability to print with a different material on each head for workflow efficiency.

Using the Massivit 5000 allowed the team to produce panels ultra-fast and at full-scale. After checking the printed components against their design, the team could quickly print the parts again within a few hours. The speed of the technology allows teams to produce large car panels, as well as train covers, truck grills, giant immersive sets, and more with relative ease. Ultimately, Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) is serving faster design and development lead times as well as sleek new design possibilities.

Additive manufacturing uses the minimum required material, as opposed to traditional machine tools, which can generate large amounts of waste. Another benefit of using 3D printers is to enable OEM’s and service bureaus to bring their production inhouse. 

For information: 

Massivit 

Massivit 5000

Savannah College of Art and Design

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