Blade, the first 3D printed car
If you were wondering what will advance technology come up with next, take a look at Blade, the first 3D printed car, designed and manufactured by Divergent Microfactories, a U.S- based start-up company.
According to the company, Blade is a supercar that has a chassis made entirely using 3D printing technology and runs on 700hp.
Blade’s creators from Divergent Microfactories said their goal is to revolutionize the ways cars are manufactured by making them more environment and health-friendly. The American start-up company added that its car-making platform significantly reduces the energy, materials and costs of producing the cars.
Kevin Czinger, CEO of Divergent Microfactories, talked about the company’s goals saying that the big plan is to apply the same strategy used for creating Blade to the entire automobile industry. Czinger said he is proud to announce that Blade is one of the most powerful and eco-friendly cars in the world at the moment.
According to the manufacturers, Blade was created using a unique technology known as “a Node”. This technology was developed by Divergent Microfactories and it involves an aluminum joint that was created using 3D printing. Blade’s chassis was made around the aluminum joint that connects numerous pieces of carbon-based fiber tubing.
This technology is used for reducing the 3D printing that is needed to build the chassis of the car. By creating the car with this technology, the manufacturers use less materials, save more energy, and the car is more than 90% lighter compared to the cars that are made using traditional ways. The result is a car that uses less fuel and is significantly more powerful than your usual car, thanks to the chassis that is durable and stronger.
Because Blade is made mostly of carbon fiber and aluminum, it weighs no more than 635 kilograms, which helps the car’s 700hp engine that runs either on gasoline or compressed natural gas. Blade’s light weight and super-powerful engine help it go from 0 to more than 60mph in an unbelievable record time: 2.2 seconds.
Divergent Microfactories said the plan is to make 10,000 3D-printed chassis annually, but to achieve it the company needs to find partners willing to invest in the project.
Image Source: engadget
