The Strati, a crowd-sourced design chosen from several hundred submissions, serves as a manufacturing technology demonstration rather than a production vehicle. The thousands of parts in a road-going car have been reduced to just 40 components, printed in one piece using direct digital manufacturing (DDM) processes.
The upscaled 3D printer, known as a Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) machine, takes 44 hours to complete the process. It deposits carbon-reinforced ABS plastic at a rate of 40 pounds per hour.
The prototype is powered by an electric motor and batteries, though the powertrain and suspension bits are sourced from third-party suppliers. Many are said to be shared with Renault’s Twizy line of electric city cars.
“This brand-new process disrupts the manufacturing status quo, changes the consumer experience and proves that a car can be born in an entirely different way,” said Local Motors CEO John B. Rogers, Jr.
Several industries are beginning to experiment with additive manufacturing as a potential alternative to traditional machining or injection molding. The technology is currently used mostly for rapid prototyping, however, rather than volume production.
The Strati makes its debut this week at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago.
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