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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.

After a rocky start, Honda's CR-Z joins U.S. hybrid derby

Honda Motor Co.'s new CR-Z sporty hybrid is the car that nearly wasn't. The wedge-shaped, two-seat hatchback was almost killed twice because engineers weren't convinced it was a unique concept and because U.S. bosses originally didn't want it.

UK Motorways hit the big 50

[ad#ad-1] It’s hard to imagine travelling round the UK, or any other country for that matter, without Motorways. Circumventing London on the M25, much as we complain, is infinitely better than using the North and South Circular roads used to be. London to Leeds is just a few hours and, despite the huge traffic problems on the M5 in the summer months, the West Country is accessible in an acceptable length of time.