3T RPD produces the UK’s first AM PPAP Warranted part for a production car

3T RPD has produced what it believes is the first ever Additive Manufacturing (AM) part to receive a PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) Warrant for fitting on to a UK manufactured production car.

CEO of 3T RPD, Ian Halliday, said: “We have been producing parts for the aerospace industry which have received flight approval for some time, it is therefore very pleasing to see that 3T’s production rigour and consistency has been recognised with the first PPAP Warrant for an AM production part.”

The receipt of the first AM PPAP Warrant is a vital step for any automotive part and is seen as a significant step forward for the UK’s AM industry. A PPAP Warrant is the approval that components need to receive before they can be fitted to a production vehicle. 3T’s PPAP Warranted component has been manufactured for automotive Tier 1 supplier, Titan Motorsport, that has embargoed the announcement of what the precise part is.

The PPAP production methodology was developed by the US Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) in 1982 to ensure that US vehicles could compete, in terms of quality, consistency and reliability with the best in the world. It has since been adopted by automotive manufacturers worldwide to ensure that automotive parts are made to the most rigorous and consistent standards. PPAP is a high barrier for a component manufacturer to overcome, 3T says its production and quality teams have been working towards producing an AM part which meets the PPAP standards for several months.

Halliday added that he hoped that this Warrant would be the first of many as 3T RPD expands its AM production capacity for metals and plastics.