The International Body Repair Symposium (IBIS) Worldwide announced at the IBIS USA 2023 trade conference that it is launching a network called the 3D Printing in Auto Repair Task Force. The organization calls IBIS Worldwide the world's first (and world's only) conference provider dedicated to the collision repair industry.
The Worldwide Association has several long-term goals, perhaps the most immediate of which is to build a network of experts and industry professionals in the adoption of 3D printing for automotive maintenance. The pool of potential members includes the field of additive manufacturing (AM), as well as all branches of the automotive industry, from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to insurance companies.
From there, the working group's action plan calls for a multifaceted approach to establishing and growing the R&D and validation of 3D printed automotive repair parts, even mentioning the goal of establishing a certification body for such parts. Membership already includes a strong list of founding participants, and the task force is led by Harold Sears, who ran the additive manufacturing division at Ford Motor Company.
△Image provided by 3D printing by Auto Repair Task Force
With the accelerated expansion of the scale of the 3D printing industry, the application of 3D printing in the auto maintenance industry will become a more common way of development, and it will also become a more influential organization. Which specific groups end up gaining the most influence will also be decided soon.
Different from the beginning of the main era of early industrialization, the interdependence and common development of Industry 4.0 and the Internet is the keynote of the future. This trend provides enough social media resources for practitioners, which is an excellent advantage. For established entities, this is also a great opportunity.
So a group like the 3D Printed Auto Repair Association, whose board members are drawn from some of the largest companies in the world, has a high chance of success for that reason alone. Also, given that the group intends to create regulations on what 3D printed automotive spare parts are legally acceptable, once the idea is validated it would be a huge success.
