TIL: It's Possible To 3D Print A 'Functioning' Serpentine Belt

The world of 3D printing is fascinating, and it’ll be interesting to see exactly what it might mean cars in the future. There are companies out there offering cars that can be 3D printed and put together by the end user, and Koengisegg’s amazingly clever turbochargers were in the news a few years ago for using 3D printed components.

But what happens if you decided to start printing off your own car parts? Say, a serpentine belt? This guy modelled a replacement serpentine belt himself on a programme called Fusion 360, and after a few failed printing attempts, he had himself a ‘working’ part. Why the inverted commas? Well, watch the video and you’ll see it doesn’t work particularly well, and doesn’t last that long.

You definitely wouldn’t want to try the same for a timing belt, in other words. But regardless, it’s a cool experiment.