Local Motors ‘printing’ a car

10 September 2014  

US company Local Motors is in the process of making the world’s first full-sized drivable car using parts made from 3D printing technology.

The car will be called the Strati and is being printed and assembled by Local Motors at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago. As the printers spray out each individual piece of the car, a team of ‘rapid assembly’ engineers will then put the individual pieces into place. Local Motors claims that the ‘Strati’ will only have 40 parts – as opposed to the average 2,000 parts found in most vehicles – and will take 44 hours to print. On the final day of the show, September 13th, the company hopes to be able to drive the car away from its stand.

The bodywork, seats, windscreen and support structures will be printed using fast-hardening carbon fibre and plastic, while the electric powertrain has been sourced from a Renault Twizy.