With SONIC, 9 trucks are equipped per day.
48 trucks are equipped per week.
207 trucks are equipped per month.
2496 trucks are equipped per year.
For truck manufacturers, producing custom roof panels poses significant challenges when traditional methods, like Sheet Molding Compound (SMC), demand high upfront costs and lack design adaptability. The SONIC machine redefines this process, enabling rapid production of large, functional roof panels tailored for specific truck models and markets—all without the need for costly molds or extended lead times.
Using the SONIC machine, truck roof panels are produced in record time, allowing for quick design modifications to accommodate various options and requirements. Unlike conventional SMC processes, which impose rigid constraints on redesigns, SONIC’s additive approach provides manufacturers with full control over dimensions, allowing them to easily adapt panel designs to new customer requests or evolving local and national regulations. This capability is especially valuable in the electric truck sector, where new safety and equipment standards frequently emerge across different regions.
The SONIC machine is perfectly suited for projects with limited production volumes and diverse product families. Truck manufacturers can now offer a wide product-range (families of products with numerous options), high-quality roof panels that match each vehicle’s functional and regulatory needs, all while keeping costs competitive. This flexibility in production makes it easy to meet specific client requests without the delays and expenses associated with traditional tooling.
Pre-series production has been produced with an automotive polycarbonate grade, provided by the truck manufacturer. The SONIC extrusion system is highly versatile, allowing the transformation of a large panel of pellets from the plastic industry. After qualification by Lines Teams, this specific Polycarbonate has been used for producing these Roof Panels. For manufacturers, ensuring continuity between their traditional process and AM is crucial. SONIC allows them to keep using their certified high-performance materials they have relied on for decades.
To meet the aesthetic demands of the automotive industry, the SONIC-produced roof panels receive a high-quality automotive finish. This treatment ensures that the panels meet exterior appearance standards, blending seamlessly with the truck’s design. From the outside, these panels cannot be recognized as an Additive Manufacturing product, showcasing the high level of quality achievable with the SONIC machine.
The general geometries of this Roof Panel are quite simple. Regarding the project's specifications, the production of the part was possible to do in a one closed-loop. SONIC is able to produce far more complex and infinite discontinued trajectories; don't think this is due to hardware limitations ! With this solution, SONIC was able to achieve the best production speed. The reinforcement of the part is achieved with intelligent breaks on the trajectories, strengthening the part where it's needed.
This Roof Panel demonstrates how SONIC empowers truck manufacturers to adapt swiftly to changing standards and customer needs, delivering highly customizable parts with automotive-grade material in record time. With SONIC, innovation in electric trucks can proceed at the pace of market demand without compromising on cost, quality, or flexibility.
