VIDEO: Wheel Design Leader Uses EnvisionTEC 3D Printers

Design Infini is an automotive wheel designer based in Corona, California. Established in 1995 by CEO Suny Chung, the business provides design and prototyping services for numerous wheel brands:

• Center Line
• ATDWheels
• WheelPros
• Gear Alloy Wheels
• WorxAlloy

The Design Infini team is passionate about designing, manufacturing and branding aftermarket wheels for the automotive industry.

“We have seven in-house designers,” said Suny Chung, CEO. “Our mission is to come up with designs and products that will lead the marketplace, and we always strive to be the best. It’s important for us to engage in today’s fast-moving technology. More and more, 3D printing is going to be a big part of the plan.”

Why 3D Printing?

“The reason we started rapid prototying is we needed to show some of the concepts to our customers,” said Donnie Han, Director of Design, Design Infini.  “We’ve been doing this for 20 years, so our customers have high expectations.”

Putting a quality a prototype into a customer’s hands is very helpful.

“We can visualize from a sketch because we’re trained but some of our customers may not be able to,” Chung explained.

“The things we cannot explain fully in the graphics, we can show the customer,” Han said. “It also helps us design better.”

Why EnvisionTEC?

When considering their options, the team had a number of considerations:

• Size – The 3D printer must be able to produce large wheel designs.
• Speed – Prototypes must be able to be produced quickly.
• Surface quality – Models must have exceptional surface quality.
• Materials – The printer must have a good range of materials allowing for intricate details and strong, robust models.

The company decided on the Vector 3SP from EnvisionTEC because of the size of the build area, and the combined speed and quality of the printing. While the printer offered them a range of material options, the company most often uses E-Model Light.

“It had the build platform and resolution that matched our needs,” Design Infini Designer Edvine Mallari said.

The EnvisionTEC Vector allows the team to produce and re-iterate prototypes quickly and accurately without the need for expensive milling and manufacture. The wheel prototypes show customers a true representation of the final product, allowing them identify changes faster and make more informed decisions about when they are ready to manufacture.

“For customers to be able to hold it and touch it has been very beneficial for us,” Mallari said.