The recent presentation of the sporty Nissan Concept 20-23 included a few bits of behind-the-scenes footage from the automaker’s design center in London, UK. A video shows the carving process of the clay model, undertaken by a 5-axis milling machine.
Digital tools play a very important role in the design and development process, but automakers remain loyal to using full-scale clay models. A physical reinterpretation of the design helps them evaluate and refine the overall shape and the styling details in a more accurate way compared to 3D visualizations and augmented reality applications.
Back in the old days, clay was carved entirely by hand, but now most of the work is done by machines. One of them is the 5-axis milling machine by Belotti that has been operating in Nissan Design Europe (NDE) since 2014 and is highlighted in the automaker’s latest video.
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The sharp arm of the machine carefully carves the big chunks of clay with great levels of precision, transforming them into a sculpted vehicle. The process takes time as the machine needs to run over the entire bodywork several times in order to get as close as possible to the 3D model, but the result is quite impressive.
After the robot does its job, skilled technicians take over for the finish, detailing, and refinement of the bodywork. When the team is happy with the result, the clay is painted with shiny metallic paint, making it look like the real deal. The designers usually check out their creations in open spaces under the sunlight, and maybe compare them to rival models if we’re talking about a future production vehicle.
Sometimes, half of the clay model takes a different shape, saving time and resources in the process of deciding the final design. The pictured example appears to combine half of the Concept 20-23 with another half of a more sensible hatchback. This does without the massive aero components, making us believe it could be an early prototype of the upcoming Nissan Micra. As a refresher, the EV, which was officially teased back in 2022, will share its underpinnings with the 2024 Renault 5.
