Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Gets Printed In 3D

After Elon Musk revealed his plans for the Hyperloop transportation system, it seems that people couldn’t wait for it to be built, so they went ahead and produced it; in 3D printed form.

A team of five from the company Whiteclouds in Utah printed the Hyperloop in less than 24 hours. Each team member took one of the components from the drawings produced by Elon Musk and then formed models of the elevated tubes that stand on pillars and the capsules that run through them. They even produced a station.

Whiteclouds’ CEO, Jerry Ropelato said, “As a company we’re really interested in technology,and I thought it would be fun and interesting to take what we do every day and make the Hyperloop concept into something real. This really demonstrates the possibilities 3D printing offers.”

The team formed the scaled model using a UV-cured resin and a “sandstone-like material”. So far, the drawings from Musk and this 3D printed model are the only advancements that have come about.

Elon Musk has said that he is too busy at present with Tesla and SpaceX to begin production of the Hyperloop but he is considering handing the project over to someone who can complete the task. He feels that it could be seven years before we actually see the Hyperloop functioning and available for use to the public.

For now we will have to make do with the 3D printed version of the futuristic transportation, better than any train set I had as a child.

[Image via mashable]

SOURCE: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-08/22/hyperloop-3d-printed