The Designer
Ben Hoffman — Founder
I'm Ben. I design automotive parts the way they should be designed — measured, modeled, and fit-checked before anyone pays for one.
Everything here starts as a 3D model in CAD. I've been living in CAD for seven years, five of those in PTC Creo. I focus on 3D-printed performance parts (PA6-GF nylon, so it actually survives an engine bay), custom dashboard and panel work, and precision intake systems — the Volvo T6 cold air intake is what got this whole thing rolling.
Outside of parts, I handle audio installation, suspension work, and detailing for local builds when the job calls for it.
I'm not trying to run the biggest shop. I want to run the one where the part fits right the first time.
The Fabricator
Ilya Richardson — Co-Founder
What I design in CAD, Ilya builds in metal. Six years of professional welding — everything from energy infrastructure to stainless exhaust systems for Formula Vee race cars. He works in 304/309/321 stainless, mild steel, aluminum, and hot- and cold-rolled steel.
Every stainless weld gets cleaned and back-purged. Every cut is measured twice. If it's not right, it doesn't leave.
Between the two of us, we cover the whole build — from the first sketch on screen to the final welded piece.
Why Silvades
We're not a volume shop and we're not trying to be. Silvades is for people who actually care how their car is built — the ones who want to know their intake was actually designed, their exhaust was actually back-purged, and their parts were actually made for their car.
If that sounds like your kind of build, let's talk.
About Silvades
SILVADES is a precision engineering and custom fabrication studio based in Washington, Illinois. We design and manufacture high-performance 3D printed parts for automotive and workshop applications — built to fit, built to last, and priced to make sense.
The name comes from Silvia, my childhood companion. She approached every day with curiosity, composure, and loyalty — and those are the same values we bring to every project. Our visual identity is rooted in her memory, with a palette drawn from the natural, earthy tones of her coat.
Whether it's a Volvo T6 cold air intake or a custom workshop jig, every part that leaves SILVADES goes through the same rigorous process: precision digital modeling, iterative prototyping, and real-world testing. No shortcuts.
Meet the Founder
I'm Ben Hoffman — designer, builder, and the guy behind every part that leaves this shop.
I work at the intersection of mechanical design and digital media. Seven years in CAD, five of those in PTC Creo, plus a background in communications. Translation: I'm good at taking something complicated and turning it into a part you can hold in your hand and bolt onto your car.
Whether I'm designing a cold air intake for a turbocharged Volvo T6, dialing in tolerances on an industrial printer, or pushing a PC build to its thermal limits — the goal is always the same: make it work better than it did before.
Most prototyping runs on Bambu Lab hardware, with PA6-GF (glass-fiber reinforced nylon) as my go-to material for anything near an engine bay. It handles heat, vibration, and fluids without cracking. I print, test, refine, repeat — until the part fits like it should have come from the factory.
What I Bring to the Table
Design & Fabrication — 7 years of CAD, 5+ in PTC Creo. Comfortable with FDM printing, functional part design, and rapid prototyping in industrial materials.
Automotive Performance — Hands-on with the Volvo T6 platform. I design, test, and manufacture bolt-on parts, starting with the SILVADES cold air intake.
Digital Media — Professional video work in DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Creative Cloud. I document the builds, share the process, and make content that shows what actually goes into a part.
Technical Problem-Solving — 3+ years as a mobile-tech diagnostic expert. Same systematic approach shows up in every design problem I take on.
SILVADES A1 3d printing a custom bathroom shelf.
How We Build
Every SILVADES part starts with a problem worth solving. The Volvo T6 cold air intake exists because everything on the market was either overpriced, poorly designed, or both — so I built something better.
The process is the same for every part:
1. Measure & Model — every dimension captured by hand using GD&T standards, then modeled in PTC Creo for an OEM-plus fit.
2. Pick the Right Material — PA6-GF nylon for anything going near heat, vibration, or engine fluids. No PLA.
3. Print It Right — parts run on industrial FDM hardware with vibration compensation, for tolerances consumer printers can't touch.
4. Test It for Real — nothing ships until it's been installed, driven, and proven on an actual car.
Got a build in mind? I'd love to hear about it.