Coming soon to a showroom near you, the ‘3-D printed’ car; simply pick out the configuration — two seats or four, convertible or hardtop and any custom features — and drive it home at the end of the day.
That is the vision of Phoenix-based Local Motors, which debuted the first 3-D printed car at last month’s International Manufacturing Technology show in Chicago.
Jay Rogers, founder and CEO of Local Motors, led the development of the Strati, which is the world’s first automobile to be created entirely using ‘direct digital manufacturing’. The company held a design contest, and the two-seat open-top Strati (‘layers’ in Italian) was the winner out of more than 200 entries.
It took 44hr to print the 49 car parts using a massive 3-D printer. The Local Motors team then assembled them at the show, dropped in the engine and bolted on wheels, tyres, seats, windshield and interior. By comparison, the average car has 5,000-6,000 parts.
Local Motors partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to find a 3-D printer that could handle the job. The BAAM (Big Area Additive Manufacturing) machine from Cincinnati Inc can lay down 40lb of carbon-reinforced ABS plastic per hr; it is also large enough to produce the body as one piece.
The car weighs about 1,500lb and features the same drive train as the Renault Twizy electric vehicle; this gives it a top speed of about 40mph and a range of 120 miles. With a petrol engine fitted, the Strati could run at ‘highway speeds’.
In addition to Local Motors, ORNL works with traditional automotive companies looking for lightweight technologies that will help them meet new stringent efficiency requirements.
Tom Rogers, ORNL director of industrial partnerships and economic development, says: “The only way to comply with the new standards is to include carbon-fibre components. We know that manufacturers have announced plans to include this material in 2018-2019 model-year vehicles.”