World’s First Operational 3D Printed Car

Local Motors spent nearly a year finding another firm that could print the first car. The eventual production partner was Oak Ridge Labs and they found a company with the base of a large laser printer, which they retrofitted with a 3D extruder. Interestingly the second half of the 3D production process was undertook in a separate Cincinnati manufacturing routing machine, which then refined the overall look of the car.

The finished car roughly took 44 hours to 3D print.  It was worked on for another full day, milling it to perfection. Local Motors then constructed Strati over a period of four days at the IMTS.

Printed in carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic or ABS, the finished car can drive at speeds up to 40 mph and can travel 120 miles on a single charge. The car is not yet allowed on highways but is allowed on local roads. Rogers said there are plans to test the car extensively before selling it to customers or putting it on the freeway.

Although the Strati is just as expensive as a full-sized sedan, Rogers does not imagine it to be a luxury item. He believes it will be an affordable and highly customizable option, which could be widely available by 2016 for around $18,000 to $34,000.

Rogers said, “It will be positioned like a car for the masses, or many different cars for the masses,”

As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.

[Image via ecology.iww]

SOURCE: http://mashable.com/2014/09/16/first-3d-printed-car