The six-day International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago witnessed an incredible use of 3D printing technology - the world's first drivable 3D-printed car.
Local Motors, along with other groups, worked continuously on the car, called Strati. The drivable car was built during the six-day event from September 8-13, with engineers using a 3D printing process called Broad Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM); it took approximately 44 hours to print both the body and chassis components.
The 3D-printing technology has widely been used for dresses, hats, jewelry, prosthetics, guns and more.
Local Motors worked with the Association for Manufacturing Technology, Cincinnati Inc. and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the new project and held a contest before choosing the car's design.
Local Motors said it received more than 200 designs for the concept and chose the final design by Michele Anoe of Italy, which used a single piece for the car's body. Strati was made using AMS plastic infused with carbon fiber. With a top speed of 40 mph, Strati can cover between 120 to 150 miles on a single charge, Daily Mail reports. Besides the body, other components such as tires, wiring, suspension, motor and the windshield were made using standard procedures.
The company also hopes to reduce the manufacturing time and refine the production before it begins selling Strati to the public.
"We expect in the next couple of months [printing a complete car] to be below 24 hours and then eventually get it below 10 hours, [down from 45 hours currently]" Local Motors CEO John Rogers said, BGR noted. "This is in a matter of months. Today, the best Detroit or Germany can do is 10 hours on a [production] line, after hundreds of years of progress."
Strati is expected to cost between $18,000 and $30,000, which will be based on the customer's choice of features.
