Design Validation Plan of an Additively Manufactured Automotive Seal for Limited Series Vehicles

Pininfarina has always been a leader company when it comes to innovation. Its unique designs have driven the automotive world since its foundation in 1930. In the field of high-luxury vehicles, the production of One-Off, Few-Off and Limited Series cars represents a big challenge for automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) which commissions the development and the production of these special vehicles to Pininfarina. As part of the innovation plan, the main research in progress concerns the sourcing of new technologies that overcome the limits of traditional ones. This thesis will be focused on the application of Additive Manufacturing process called Stereolithography (SLA), for the production of Automotive Seals. The aim of this thesis is the development and implementation of a complete Design Validation Plan (DVP) for an SLA resin candidate. Each automotive component, before entering into production, must pass a series of severe tests, which guarantee its performance over the life-cycle of a passenger vehicle, from exposition to UV lights, to rain, to aging. Moreover, it must succeed in all homologation standards, which are compulsory to make the car road legal. The DVP plan is then executed both at Politecnico di Torino, performed directly by the author, and at a specific laboratory specialized in these tests. The preliminary results analyzed are encouraging meaning that the development is going in the right direction. At the same time, the Xenotest (continuous exposition to an alternate cycle of UV and water sprays) did not give the expected outcomes. A potential identified solution is the application of a specific coating and the optimization of the printing parameters to correct material properties and to successfully complete the validation plan. This work also analyzes aspects related to project management, from the collaborative work with external suppliers to budget management and planning definition.