Thursday, January 16, 2014

3-D Printed Car Is as Strong as Steel, Half the Weight

3-D Printed Car Is as Strong as Steel, Half the Weight, and Nearing Production, article.

This is so excellent. I keep hearing about new things that 3D printing can do better. One example is that areas which has to be made in many parts with traditional methods, can be printed in one part with 3D printing, making it cheaper, lighter, and stronger.
Another is that you can print in strengthening structures (ribs and such) directly in the material.


3 comments:

David Evans said...

I can't help being reminded of the Reliant Regal (glass-reinforced plastic body, metal chassis, curb weight 1000 lb) from 1959 and it's 4-wheeled cousin the Reliant Rebel. I drove a Rebel for several years and it was a very capable, economical car.
http://www.3wheelers.com/regal.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliant_Rebel

TC [Girl] said...

This is so cool! LOVE this whole emerging field!!

Pascal [P-04referent] said...

Don't forget the synthetic organs. You replace the inks with cultivated stem cells in suspension, and once in place they'll naturally connect and organize themselves by proximity. Thanks to simple mechanisms such as membrane contact proteins and the lamina propria.

Still, I think kidneys will be very challenging, far more than new hearts. A kidney has extremely sophisticated micro-vessels and tubules, not easy to "just assemble".

Eo, could you please find us the link to that old story you once posted? "Copyright", about a guy illegally using 3-D printers using "goo". Would be quite relevant here.