Michelin General Joint Research and Development 3D Printing Pneumatic Tire

The Michelin and General Motors companies have invested heavily in additive manufacturing. Recently, the two sides proposed a subversive concept for the inflatable and recyclable 3D printing car tires - the Uptis concept tire, representing a significant advancement in the realization of the Michelin VISION concept.

Michelin General Joint Research and Development 3D Printing Pneumatic Tire

Michelin Uptis Concept Tire

The Michelin VISION concept was presented at the Movin On Summit in 2017 as an example of Michelin's sustainable transportation research and development strategy. Concept tires introduced four innovations for the first time: free of charge, connection, 3D printing and 100% environmentally friendly materials (fully renewable or bio-sourced materials). The Uptis concept tires indicate that Michelin's vision for sustainable transportation in the future is clearly an achievable dream, although we don't know how 3D printing technology can produce hundreds of millions of car tires that cost each year.

Michelin General Joint Research and Development 3D Printing Pneumatic Tire

Reliable and maintenance-free thanks to special construction and performance

The Uptis concept tire was redesigned for today's passenger cars and is also well suited for emerging mobile forms. Future vehicles and fleets, whether self-driving, all-electric, shared services or other applications, will achieve near-zero tire maintenance to maximize operational capacity.

Michelin General Joint Research and Development 3D Printing Pneumatic Tire

Show special passing ability on rough roads

“GM is very excited about the possibilities offered by Uptis, and we are excited to partner with Michelin to develop this breakthrough technology. Uptis is the ideal choice for the automotive industry to move towards the future, and when we collaborate and innovate with our supplier partners. A good example of customer benefits,” said Steve Kiefer, senior vice president of global sourcing and supply chain at GM.

These innovations combine to eliminate compressed air to support the load of the vehicle, saving significant resource consumption. At present, about 200 million tires worldwide are prematurely scrapped due to perforation, damage caused by road hazards or insufficient air pressure due to uneven wear. These advances in the Uptis concept tires demonstrate that Michelin and General Motors are working together to provide safer, more sustainable driving solutions.