Dash-CAE is a UK-based engineering firm specializing in additive manufacturing and composite technologies. With its origins in motorsport, the company has expanded into sectors such as automotive, aerospace, defense, and marine. Its services cover the complete development process—from digital design and simulation to tooling and final component manufacturing. By combining large-format 3D printing with high-performance materials and integrated digital workflows, Dash delivers tailored solutions for technically demanding applications. In a recent interview with 3Druck.com, Sales Director Ryan Muller outlines how Dash-CAE applies additive manufacturing to enhance flexibility, reduce lead times, and address sustainability goals across engineering sectors.
One of Dash’s core competencies is large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM), enabling the production of tooling and components at significantly shorter lead times compared to conventional methods. Molds several meters in size can be printed within hours, supporting fast prototyping and low-volume production in motorsport and automotive environments. Reinforced thermoplastics with defined mechanical properties allow the printed tools to perform under elevated thermal and pressure conditions without altering downstream production processes.
In the automotive space, Dash has engineered lightweight carbon composite chassis systems suitable for various powertrain architectures. In aerospace, the company supported the production of aircraft seat shrouds using robotically printed tooling, meeting both fire safety and load-bearing standards. Through its combination of simulation, additive techniques, and composite expertise, Dash-CAE addresses complex manufacturing challenges with a focus on material performance and process efficiency.
Interview with Ryan Muller
In the interview with 3Druck.com, Ryan Muller, Sales Director at Dash-CAE, discusses how additive manufacturing is reshaping production workflows across industries like motorsport and automotive. He shares insights into the company’s evolving use of large-format 3D printing, material innovations, and the growing role of sustainable tooling solutions—all pointing to a broader shift in how high-performance components are designed and delivered.
From your perspective at Dash-CAE, how has the additive manufacturing landscape evolved over the past few years? What changes have you seen in terms of industry needs—particularly across sectors like motorsport and automotive?
Ryan Muller, Sales Director at Dash-CAE
The additive manufacturing landscape has evolved rapidly over the past few years. Customers now have a much better understanding of what is and isn’t possible to manufacture with AM, along with a broader understanding of material characteristics. The main driver for AM, at least for us, has been the speed of manufacture—especially in motorsport. Dash-CAE has built a reputation for creating carbon fiber pre-preg molds and parts using AM with industry-leading turnaround times. Both the automotive and motorsport sectors are looking at decarbonization and more eco-friendly ways of producing both ICE and EV platforms. With AM, the requirement for non-environmentally friendly epoxy patterns has largely been eliminated, as we now both print patterns and/or manufacture molds directly. Moreover, these tools can be recycled and do not end up in landfills.
Additive manufacturing has advanced rapidly. Which innovations or breakthroughs—whether in materials, large-format 3D printing, or integration with composite structures—have had the biggest impact on your work?
LFAM, or Large Format Additive Manufacturing, has been a game-changer for us. We are printing molds sized 4m x 3m x 2m in hours—not days or weeks. Customers love the speed of the technology, especially for show vehicles or prototypes, while benefiting from a significantly lower tooling investment. Material technology is constantly improving, and increased material properties such as CTE, maximum temperature performance, hardness, and UTS of these AM materials have allowed us to compete with—or exceed—the performance of traditional soft tooling.
Dash-CAE has significant experience in the design and simulation of manufacturing these molds, including mechanical analysis prior to printing, to ensure they can withstand the high temperatures and pressures that pre-preg materials require. The breakthroughs for us have primarily come through optimization of the design and printing of the molds (including print orientation), rather than the hardware used itself.
How has additive manufacturing been received by your customers in established industries—and how does your technology integrate into existing production workflows, particularly with regard to sustainability and process compatibility?
Our technology has been received very positively by motorsport, automotive, aerospace, and even defense customers, due to its low-cost nature and the speed of getting products to market. In fact, Dash-CAE has been nominated for significant contracts thanks to the technology aligning with customer values, including recyclability and sustainability. The tooling technology allows for pre-approved materials to be cured, causing no changes to the customer’s manufacturing process. The same cure cycles and materials (even bio-resin-based) are fully compatible without degradation to the mold surface.
Looking ahead 5 to 10 years, how do you see the role of additive manufacturing evolving within the industries Dash-CAE serves? What underexplored applications or strategic opportunities do you think could drive broader adoption and impact?
At the end of the day, money and time talk, and we need to ensure we remain competitive against the European and Asian markets. The automotive industry is undergoing significant change, and manufacturing optimization and efficiency must remain top priorities to access these markets. Additive manufacturing will absolutely continue to evolve—whether in processing speed, equipment cost, or sustainable materials—and the adoption of the technology will increase rapidly in order to reduce the costs of product iteration and design changes.
LFAM technology is still relatively new, and broader adoption will depend on customers understanding that they don’t need to change all of their in-house production processes to benefit.
An example of this is Dash-CAE developing a process for curing carbon SMC (Sheet Molding Compound, or “Forged Carbon”) using this tool technology, which can later be transferred to a compression molding process. If a customer is waiting 20+ weeks for a steel production press tool, prototype parts can be manufactured in record time and iterated with materials the customer has already used or has material card data for.
Here you can find further information on Dash-CAE.
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