General Motors, an American multinational automotive manufacturing company, is using new, advanced software design technology – called “generative design” – to introduce the next generation of vehicle light weighting. It uses cloud computing and AI-based algorithms to rapidly explore multiple permutations of a part design, generating hundreds of high-performance, often organic-looking geometric design options based on goals and parameters set by the user, such as weight, strength, material choice, fabrication method, and more. The user then determines the best part design option. Engineers have applied this new technology to produce a proof-of-concept part – a seat bracket – that is 40 percent lighter and 20 percent stronger than the original part. It also consolidates eight different components into one 3D-printed part. Since 2016, the company has launched 14 new vehicle models with a total mass reduction of more than 5,000 lbs.

“.[…] When we pair the [generative] design technology with manufacturing advancements such as 3D printing, our approach to vehicle development is completely transformed and is fundamentally different to co-create with the computer in ways we simply couldn’t have imagined before.”

GM Vice President Ken Kelzer, Global Vehicle Components and Subsystems.