Own old cars, trucks or motorcycles long enough, and sooner or later a common problem arises: A needed part is no longer available. Porsche Classic has recently announced an innovative solution (for a select grouping of components, anyway), which raises the question: Can 3D printed parts eventually be the answer to owners’ and restorers’ prayers?
Three-dimensional printing, now part of a process commonly referred to as additive manufacturing, can trace its roots to the 1980s, but it would take until the early 21st century for the technology to jump from lab to industry. By 2010 or so, printers had become affordable and powerful enough to gain favor among low-volume manufacturers, where they were typically used for rapid prototyping of parts.
3D printing has gone mainstream and back again -- but can it breathe life in hard-to-finish restorations?
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