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Bentley uses 3D printing to prototype new designs [w/Video]

3D printing is changing the way the world makes things by helping people of all disciplines to enhance and refine their ideas cheaply, quickly and effectively.  Bentley is the latest carmaker to utilize the technology to fabricate and prototype different parts to see how they'll look and work on the finished design. Using 3D printers, designers can produce parts from the exterior and interior such as the grille, tires, headlamps and door handles as well as combine different types of contrasting materials, ranging from hard plastics to rubbers of different tensile strengths.  The technology allows the user to create a solid 3D object straight from a digital model by printing layers of material on top of each other. This process rapidly decreases the delivery time, as parts can be printed overnight, and allows designers to be more creative in their ideas because of the reduced cost. Bentley isn't the first carmaker to use 3D printing technology. Audi announced last year it was beginning to prototype vehicle parts using 3D printers.

Families spending less on transport - new figures revealed

THE LATEST Family Spending data shows that UK households spent £489 on average per week in 2012, according to the Office for National Statistics. Once inflation is taken into account, average spending has decreased since 2006 when households spent £526.40. Transport has seen the biggest spending reduction taking inflation into account, falling from £87.10 per week in 2001/2002 to £64.10 in 2012 despite the price of petrol increasing substantially over this period.

One Lap of the Web: Auto pics, a pretty Ferrari and rallies

Who can forget the wild days of Group B? Lancia's wild 037 was the last rear-wheel-drive monster to win a championship in the WRC, doing so in 1983. Our friends at Automobiliac have a great video of a bunch of 037s doing their thing at a historic rally.