Worlds First 3D Printed Car Being Made Now

Called the Strati, the body, seats and other major sections on the car are all being made in once piece using direct digital manufacturing or 3D printing. Mechanical components of the car, like the battery, motor, wiring, and suspension are being sourced from a variety of suppliers, including Renault’s Twizy, a line of electric-powered city cars.

Local Motors has teamed up with a number of companies on this project including Cincinnati Incorporated, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Sabic to provide the machinery, validate the technology being used and supply the carbon fibre-reinforced compounds that went into making the Strati.

strati-car

The vehicle will be printed over 44 hours is made up of just 40 parts, with 3D prints typically employing around 20% carbon fibre and up to 90% ABS resin. Once the printing is complete it will be quickly assembled by the Local Motors team with the first drive expecting to take place Saturday morning.

The vehicle which was designed by Michele Anoé of Italy, who won Local Motor’s design challenge is hoping to prove the viability of using digital manufacturing solutions like this in the automotive industry with the company planning to start selling these 3D printed vehicles to the average joe in the next few months.

To see how they’re get on over the weekend you can follow the hashtag #3DPRINTEDCAR on Twitter