MT Magazine March/April 2023

MARCH/APRIL 2023

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The Cadillac CELESTIQ is considered by the company to be its “most unique and expressive” vehicle in its 120 years. The electric vehicle has a 111-kWh battery pack and a two-motor, all-wheel-drive propulsion system that provides a range of approximately 300 miles and 600 hp. While specs for the vehicle are not presently available (the vehicle is going to go into production in December 2023), to get a sense of its size, know that those are 23-inch wheels. (Image: GM)

number of years. A good example of this – and also good because of the car in question – is the development of the brake cooling ducts for the C8 Corvette. GM found that by using 3D printing during development, the timeline for obtaining prototype parts was reduced by nine weeks, and the associated costs were cut by 60%. Which goes to the point that although there is now more focus being placed on additive manufacturing than rapid prototyping (probably because the former is still comparatively new, and rapid prototyping goes back to the late 1980s, when the process started being commercialized, albeit to a limited extent), there is still a significant amount of time and money that is saved during the prototyping phase of product development – and it has serious ramifications on what will be developed. (And here’s something to keep in mind: It very well may be that whatever is being prototyped using one of the 3D printing processes may be designed in such a way that the item can’t be as effectively or efficiently produced by more traditional manufacturing processes (e.g., machining, molding) – if it can be produced by those processes at all.) So, for the CELESTIQ, there is an abundance of additive near the Artisan Center. GM’s Biggest Additive Deployment According to Roma, there are 115 parts made with additive for each CELESTIQ. There is no other car in the GM lineup that has nearly that many. It is worth noting that the first production applications for additive at GM were for the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing and CT4-V Blackwing models equipped with six-speed manual

transmissions. There are four parts. Three are functional: two nylon-12 HVAC ducts and an aluminum bracket that is used to secure a wiring harness. The fourth part is a stainless-steel badge that’s affixed to the top of the gearshift knob. For the CELESTIQ there are a wide array of parts, including window switches, grab handles, decorative interior pieces, and vehicle structural elements. The steering wheel center has a decorative front side and a structural reverse. According to Roma, there are 115 parts made with additive for each CELESTIQ. Safety Critical One of the more interesting components that might be over looked but shows the type of advances that are being made at GM is the D-ring that is used to position the seat belt. Seat belts fall under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FM VSS) as regulated, safety-critical parts of a motor vehicle. Roma recalled, “When they [the additive team and the safety team] came to me, I had the reaction: ‘You want to do what?’” The stainless-steel component was developed. When the teams tested the ring to failure, they discovered that it would have been capable of supporting the entire vehicle “and then some.” While GM has yet to share specs of the imposing vehicle, this is a large electric vehicle. Electric vehicles tend to be heavier than those powered by internal combustion engines. Lucid Air’s Dream Edition Performance sedan has a curb