Tesla's Nevada additive manufacturing team uses the Formlabs Fuse X1 to deliver full-height SLS parts in a single day, cutting labor and boosting throughput.
Speed Is Everything at Tesla Giga Nevada
Tesla's additive manufacturing team at Giga Nevada operates at a relentless pace — a three-person crew producing between 10,000 and 30,000 parts every week, with most orders needing to be ready in under 24 hours. Uptime, fast changeovers, and print speed are non-negotiable. To keep up, the team needed a machine that could match their workflow without compromise.
The Old Approach: Half the Volume, Double the Work
Before adopting the Formlabs Fuse X1, the team relied on traditional large-format SLS printers. Despite their generous build chambers, those systems couldn't complete tall builds within the daily 24-hour window. The practical limit was roughly 230 mm in height — meaning large parts had to be sectioned, printed in pieces, then glued and sanded back together. This added significant manual labor and weakened the finished parts.
Fuse X1: Full Build Height, Same-Day Delivery
The Formlabs Fuse X1 changes the equation with a 330 × 330 × 565 mm build volume — 7.5× that of the Fuse 1+ 30W — while still completing most builds within a 24-hour window. The full 565 mm Z-height is now usable in a single day, more than doubling the effective build height compared to legacy systems. Parts that previously required sectioning can now be printed whole, improving dimensional accuracy, impact strength, and overall durability.
Real-World Impact: Rework Jigs and Logistics Parts
One standout example is a production-line rework jig. Previously, each jig took over 145 hours across multiple traditional SLS printers and still required manual assembly. On the Fuse X1, five jigs can be printed in a single 24-hour build — unsectioned and ready to use. Similarly, packaging components like window dunnage racks that once required splitting across builds can now be produced whole, supporting Tesla's fast-moving internal logistics.
A Smarter SLS Ecosystem
The Fuse X1 pairs with the Fuse Sift for powder recovery and the Fuse Blast for post-processing, forming a complete end-to-end SLS workflow. AI-powered Print Intelligence monitors every layer in real time to catch anomalies and protect part yield, while Adaptive Thermal Control manages 13 independent zones for consistent quality across the full build volume. For high-volume manufacturing teams, the Fuse X1 represents a meaningful shift in what in-house SLS can realistically deliver.
