{"id":68705,"date":"2024-05-24T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/?p=68705"},"modified":"2026-02-03T10:16:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T18:16:58","slug":"rivian-rapid-prototyping-machining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/rivian-rapid-prototyping-machining\/","title":{"rendered":"Rivian\u2019s Rapid Prototyping Team Reveals Benefits of Machining with Autodesk Fusion\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For Rivian<\/a>, rapid prototyping isn\u2019t just a goal. It\u2019s imperative to success. Each month, the rapid prototyping team within Rivian\u2019s special projects team fields hundreds of requests<\/a> from the design studio, engineering, and manufacturing teams. They all need the prototypes created quickly to make design decisions, test parts, or install jigs and fixtures on the factory floor.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rivian
Image courtesy of Rivian.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The team combines creative and strategic approaches for each project. \u201cWe can get really creative with how we make things,\u201d says Jonathan Dankenbring, product development engineering manager, Rivian. \u201cOur in-house capabilities include machining, additive manufacturing, and laser cutting. When someone gives us a request, we can decide the best way to manufacture the design from these methods\u2014and sometimes it\u2019s a mix of all three.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Learning Autodesk Fusion from scratch for machining <\/h2>\n\n\n

Dankenbring didn\u2019t just leap into Fusion and immediately start creating complex prototypes for Rivian. \u201cBefore I joined Rivian, I was a CNC machinist and then managed a shop that made cutting tools for CNC machines,\u201d he says. \u201cI always had the itch to make things myself, so I started to learn Fusion through online tutorials, YouTube videos, and forums.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Dankenbring landed his dream job at Rivian five years ago, the team was already using Tebis. But he didn\u2019t know the software and needed to prove himself. He went out on a limb and began using what he already knew, Autodesk Fusion<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rivian
Image courtesy of Rivian.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was able to show my teammates that I could quickly do simultaneous 5-axis machining with Fusion,\u201d he says. \u201cThat really solidified my spot here at Rivian. After that, we all started using Fusion more and more. It was also much less expensive.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

Simplified employee onboarding and up-skilling<\/h2>\n\n\n

Autodesk Fusion powers Rivian\u2019s rapid prototyping<\/a> process. However, there’s no industry-wide standard software for machinists, so onboarding new hires can be a challenge. According to Dankenbring, one of the great advantages of Fusion is how easy it is for anyone to get going with the software. They can hire based on expertise\u2014not just because someone knows a certain CAM program.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Case in point is their senior CNC machinist Matthew Yates who joined Rivian a couple of years ago. Yates first encountered Rivian when he caught \u201cLong Way Up<\/a>\u201d on television. The series features actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman traveling the globe and embarking on long-distance motorcycle rides. This time they were riding from Patagonia to Southern California on Harley-Davidson electric motorcycles. The show enlisted Rivian to travel along for the filming in 2019\u2014far before the truck ever hit production. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"CNC
Image courtesy of Rivian.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yates thought to himself, \u201cHey, this seems like a really cool company.\u201d He saw a job listing that described his resume exactly, decided to go for it, and was hired right away. But he didn\u2019t know a thing about Fusion. He had a couple of decades of experience with Mastercam instead.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the time, my take was that Fusion was a hobby software,\u201d he says. \u201cJonathan showed me some of the parts he was making, and I thought, \u2018Well, it can’t be that bad if he’s making these parts with it.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It didn\u2019t take long for Yates to get the hang of it. Within a couple of weeks, he was making a part, and he felt very comfortable overall within just a couple of months.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rivian
Image courtesy of Rivian.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, I’ve been using Fusion for a couple of years, and I feel very proficient on the CAM side and using the Manufacturing Extension<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cI’m able to make these high-end, 5-axis parts on high-end equipment. We’re not talking about hobby machines. These are in excess of half a million dollars in pieces of equipment that Fusion is driving. And we get some of these complicated parts in and out of the machine within one, two, or three days depending on what it is.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWhen it comes to complex parts, our team has yet to find a part that we haven\u2019t been able to machine with Fusion.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\u2014Matthew Yates, Senior CNC Machinist, Rivian <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

Powering advanced machining with Fusion <\/h2>\n\n\n
\"Rivian
Image courtesy of Rivian.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Along with an array of additive manufacturing equipment, Rivian\u2019s prototyping team has five CNC machines, including DMG MORI<\/a> DMU 95 and DMU 65 full five-axis machines, a Haas Automation<\/a> VF4SSwith a TRT210 axis trunnion, a DMG MORI ALX 2500 lathe with live tooling and a C and Y-axis, and a Fadal VMC<\/a> for larger components. They also utilize 3-axis laser cutting machines for the production of components. In addition, the team has just installed a 5-axis laser cutter to begin offering quick turnaround sheet metal brackets. They have begun utilizing the advanced nesting and fabrication<\/a> functionality inside the Fusion Manufacturing Extension to improve this workflow.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rivian uses all this equipment for various prototyping projects, such as jigs and fixtures for the plant or frame and suspension components for new products made from 4140 pre-hardened steel or 7075 billet aluminum. One thing is always certain\u2014every day brings something different to the shop floor.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Engineer
Image courtesy of Rivian.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe use Fusion every day for all of our machining tasks, including programming all of our CNC mills, CAMplete for 5-axis toolpath verification, and to program our 5-axis lathe,\u201d Dankenbring says. \u201cWe start with Fusion to understand if a part is manufacturable. We can then quickly iterate small changes in the design tab and then move back to our manufacturing tab to start laying down toolpaths.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a rapid prototyping environment, things can change rather quickly. \u201cWhether it’s tool length offset, a fixture change, or we need two people on one project at the same time, we can do all of these seamlessly by working in the cloud,\u201d he says.   <\/p>\n\n\n

Digging into Fusion workflows and features <\/h2>\n\n\n
\"Rivian
Image courtesy of Rivian.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Yates, the defined workflow in Fusion is especially important and what happens \u201cbehind the scenes.\u201d After creating toolpaths in Mastercam, he would need to create a \u2018stock model\u2019 based on any number of toolpaths. This would be a manual process that was time-consuming and has a risk of missing toolpaths.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFusion is always creating In Process Stock (stock model) in the background after every operation,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can visualize your part and your progress a lot quicker and use the stock for rest machining toolpaths anywhere throughout your setup without having to create an additional \u2018stock model.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt also just has a more fluid workflow as far as setting up and retaining setup,\u201d he continues. \u201cIn Fusion, you pick your stock, part, and fixture. With Mastercam, you have to work around those using levels. Fusion is better thought out in that respect.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yates continually sees new improvements with Fusion to augment efficiencies with toolpaths. \u201cThe recent release of the geodesic toolpath<\/a> made it a lot easier to machine some of the surfaces we do,\u201d he says. \u201cMany of our parts are freeform solids without a square base. The geodesic toolpath makes a nicer-looking tool path, and it\u2019s easier to program. We found better processing times as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rivian
Image courtesy of Rivian.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

Looking ahead <\/h2>\n\n\n

For the past five years, the rapid prototyping team has grown with Fusion right by their side. Moving forward, the team is looking to broaden their Fusion use even further by exploring tools like configurations<\/a>. \u201cWe have different machines with different fixtures on each machine, and they’re all interchangeable,\u201d Yates says. \u201cConfigurations will allow us to pick what machine we’re using and what fixture we want to use and have it change automatically. It\u2019s something we\u2019ll really benefit from.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working in such a fast-paced prototyping environment means the team must rely on tools that help them remain agile. \u201cEvery day when I walk into the shop, I always know that there’s going to be a new challenge and a new adventure waiting for me,\u201d Dankenbring says. \u201cFusion has evolved right along with us. As we move forward with new, complex projects, I know we can rely on it to help us deliver new efficiency across all the teams and help deliver products faster.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

See how Rivian\u2019s special projects team leverages Fusion and the Manufacturing Extension for quick and reliable prototyping.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4774,"featured_media":68780,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[478],"tags":[184,34,143],"coauthors":[577],"class_list":["post-68705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-studies","tag-5-axis","tag-customer-stories","tag-manufacturing","dhig-theme--light"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRivian Reveals Benefits of Machining with Autodesk Fusion\u00a0 - Fusion Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"See how Rivian\u2019s special projects team leverages Fusion and the Manufacturing Extension for quick and reliable prototyping.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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