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3D Printed Vehicles Coming Soon?

fleetnewsdaily | January 23, 2014

If you’ve been waiting for 3D printed vehicles for your fleet, good news. Local Motors has announced a partnership with the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in which it will work with the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at ORNL to develop and deliver technology to produce the world’s first production 3D printed vehicle.

The groups will explore making vehicle construction more efficient in every way, including lower production time, costs, and part count, coupled with higher standards of control, safety, aesthetics and mechanical flexibility.

The primary tool in this drive for efficiency is a combination of material science and cutting-edge advanced manufacturing techniques that are both additive and subtractive.

“By invoking the principle of open-source, this partnership – and future efforts like it – will drive a true paradigm shift in hardware product development and automotive manufacturing technologies,” said Jay Rogers, Co-Founder and CEO of Local Motors. “Just as exciting as the vision of delivering the first direct digital manufactured car, is that we will be engaging future consumers to contribute and evangelize its creation.”

The MDF at Oak Ridge National Lab is a research laboratory focused on numerous forms of additive, subtractive and direct digital manufacturing. Its goal is to help industry adopt new manufacturing technologies that reduce life-cycle energy and greenhouse gas emissions, lower production cost and create new products and opportunities for high paying jobs.