Local Motors has long been on the leading-edge of alternative car design, starting with the Rally Fighter off-road machine. The latest innovation being pioneered by Local Motors is happening right now, at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, where the company is 3D printing the main structure of a car right on the floor of Cobo Hall.
According to Local Motors, the Strati is the world's first 3D-printed car and is a refinement of a design created by Michele Anoè, who submitted the design as part of an online community project. The first of these Strati models began printing today in Detroit in an example of what the company calls a micro-factory, which "is typically located within 100 miles of major urban centers, creates more than 100 local jobs, reduces freight and distribution costs by 97 percent, increases recycling and reduces waste while speeding delivery time to market."
Two such micro-factories are currently planned; one in Knoxville, TN, and one at National Harbor, just outside Washington DC. The latter micro-factory is a collaboration between Local Motors and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and it aims to start producing these 3D-printed Strati models after construction begins in the third quarter of this year.
Feel free to scroll down below for more information on the 3D-printing car process and micro-factories from Local Motors.
According to Local Motors, the Strati is the world's first 3D-printed car and is a refinement of a design created by Michele Anoè, who submitted the design as part of an online community project. The first of these Strati models began printing today in Detroit in an example of what the company calls a micro-factory, which "is typically located within 100 miles of major urban centers, creates more than 100 local jobs, reduces freight and distribution costs by 97 percent, increases recycling and reduces waste while speeding delivery time to market."
Two such micro-factories are currently planned; one in Knoxville, TN, and one at National Harbor, just outside Washington DC. The latter micro-factory is a collaboration between Local Motors and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and it aims to start producing these 3D-printed Strati models after construction begins in the third quarter of this year.
Feel free to scroll down below for more information on the 3D-printing car process and micro-factories from Local Motors.
Local Motors Debuts World's First 3D-printed Car at NAIAS 2015
Premiere Fleet of Vehicles to be manufactured, sold at National Harbor in Maryland
Detroit, Mich. (January 13, 2015) – A new kind of vehicle and manufacturing process will debut at the 2015 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). Local Motors will 3D print, assemble and debut the world's first 3D-printed car – live from the show floor.
Called the Strati, the vehicle is the first in a line of 3D-printed cars from Local Motors. The design was chosen in May 2014 from more than 200 submitted to Local Motors by the company's online co-creation community after launching a call for entries. The winning design was submitted by Michele Anoè who was awarded a cash prize plus the opportunity to see his design brought to life. Less than a year after the original design was chosen, Local Motors will premiere a mid-model refresh, which began its inaugural print on Monday, January 12 on the show floor during NAIAS.
"Since launching in 2007, we have continuously disrupted the way vehicles are designed, built, and sold," said Local Motors Co-founder and CEO John B. Rogers, Jr. "We paired micro-manufacturing with co-creation to bring vehicles to market at unprecedented speed. We proved that an online community of innovators can change the way vehicles go from designed to driven. We pioneered the concept of using direct digital manufacturing (DDM) to 3D-print cars. I am proud to have the world's first 3D-printed car be a part of our already impressive portfolio of vehicles."
Three-Phase Process: Print, Refine, Finish
Local Motors will showcase the proprietary three-phased manufacturing process for 3D-printing cars during NAIAS 2015. The first phase in 3D-printed manufacturing is additive. Made from ABS plastic reinforced with carbon fiber provide by SABIC, the current model of the Strati takes approximately 44 hours to print 212 layers. The end result is a completed 3D-printed Car Structure™.
The second phase of 3D-printed manufacturing is subtractive. Once 3D printing is complete, the 3D-printed Car Structure moves to a Thermwood CNC router that mills the finer details. After a few hours of milling, the Strati's exterior details take shape.
The last phase of 3D-printed manufacturing is rapid assembly. After the 3D-printed Car Structure is printed and refined, the non 3D-printed components, including the drivetrain, electrical components, gauges and wiring, plus the tires are added. A vinyl wrapping, paint or other surface treatment is used to complement the 3D-printed texture, resulting in a showroom-ready vehicle.
Micro-factories: The Future of Manufacturing
Local Motors will also offer the automotive industry a glimpse into the future of manufacturing. The technology company has built a working micro-factory on the show floor, giving a front-row seat of how cars will be made in the near future. A micro-factory is home to additive manufacturing, which uses digital 3D-design data, called Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM), to make a product to exact specifications, without traditional and costly tooling.
"Gone are the days of an economy of scale in order to introduce and commercialize a technology," said Rogers. "Micro-factories are a great counterpoint because they employ an economy of scope by taking advantage of low cost tooling and co-creation, resulting in the ability to get products to market faster and in less time while using less capital to find a winning concept."
What's more, a micro-factory, which is typically located within 100 miles of major urban centers, creates more than 100+ local jobs, reduces freight and distribution costs by 97%, increases recycling and reduces waste while speeding delivery time to market.
A Local Motors micro-factory is typically 40,000 sf and includes 20,000 sf for a Lab, used for co-creation, research, technology, education and free community events; 10,000 sf for a Vehicle Showroom and Retail Store; 10,000 sf for a Build Floor to accommodate light assembly of products and vehicles.
Two New Micro-factories to Break Ground in 2015
Local Motors is pleased to announce two new micro-factory locations: one in Knoxville, Tenn. and one at National Harbor, just outside Washington DC. The Knoxville location highlights the collaboration between Local Motors and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which signed a deal a year ago to design, build and print the world's first 3D-printed car. The Local Motors Knoxville micro-factory will focus on rapid commercialize of advanced manufacturing learning's from ORNL Manufacturing Demonstration Faculty and highlights the company's commitment to being a member of the newly announced iACME. Debuting the world's first 3D-printed car at NAIAS demonstrates the success of the public-private partnership.
The micro-factory in National Harbor will be where the first fleet of 3D-printed cars will be manufactured and sold. The location is set to break ground in Q3 2015, with the first 3D-printed vehicles to be delivered and on the road shortly thereafter.
About Local Motors
Local Motors is a technology company that designs, builds, and sells vehicles. From bytes-to-bits, the Local Motors platform combines global co-creation with local micro-manufacturing to bring hardware innovations, like the world's first 3D-printed car, to market at unprecedented speed. Discover more at localmotors.com
Premiere Fleet of Vehicles to be manufactured, sold at National Harbor in Maryland
Detroit, Mich. (January 13, 2015) – A new kind of vehicle and manufacturing process will debut at the 2015 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). Local Motors will 3D print, assemble and debut the world's first 3D-printed car – live from the show floor.
Called the Strati, the vehicle is the first in a line of 3D-printed cars from Local Motors. The design was chosen in May 2014 from more than 200 submitted to Local Motors by the company's online co-creation community after launching a call for entries. The winning design was submitted by Michele Anoè who was awarded a cash prize plus the opportunity to see his design brought to life. Less than a year after the original design was chosen, Local Motors will premiere a mid-model refresh, which began its inaugural print on Monday, January 12 on the show floor during NAIAS.
"Since launching in 2007, we have continuously disrupted the way vehicles are designed, built, and sold," said Local Motors Co-founder and CEO John B. Rogers, Jr. "We paired micro-manufacturing with co-creation to bring vehicles to market at unprecedented speed. We proved that an online community of innovators can change the way vehicles go from designed to driven. We pioneered the concept of using direct digital manufacturing (DDM) to 3D-print cars. I am proud to have the world's first 3D-printed car be a part of our already impressive portfolio of vehicles."
Three-Phase Process: Print, Refine, Finish
Local Motors will showcase the proprietary three-phased manufacturing process for 3D-printing cars during NAIAS 2015. The first phase in 3D-printed manufacturing is additive. Made from ABS plastic reinforced with carbon fiber provide by SABIC, the current model of the Strati takes approximately 44 hours to print 212 layers. The end result is a completed 3D-printed Car Structure™.
The second phase of 3D-printed manufacturing is subtractive. Once 3D printing is complete, the 3D-printed Car Structure moves to a Thermwood CNC router that mills the finer details. After a few hours of milling, the Strati's exterior details take shape.
The last phase of 3D-printed manufacturing is rapid assembly. After the 3D-printed Car Structure is printed and refined, the non 3D-printed components, including the drivetrain, electrical components, gauges and wiring, plus the tires are added. A vinyl wrapping, paint or other surface treatment is used to complement the 3D-printed texture, resulting in a showroom-ready vehicle.
Micro-factories: The Future of Manufacturing
Local Motors will also offer the automotive industry a glimpse into the future of manufacturing. The technology company has built a working micro-factory on the show floor, giving a front-row seat of how cars will be made in the near future. A micro-factory is home to additive manufacturing, which uses digital 3D-design data, called Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM), to make a product to exact specifications, without traditional and costly tooling.
"Gone are the days of an economy of scale in order to introduce and commercialize a technology," said Rogers. "Micro-factories are a great counterpoint because they employ an economy of scope by taking advantage of low cost tooling and co-creation, resulting in the ability to get products to market faster and in less time while using less capital to find a winning concept."
What's more, a micro-factory, which is typically located within 100 miles of major urban centers, creates more than 100+ local jobs, reduces freight and distribution costs by 97%, increases recycling and reduces waste while speeding delivery time to market.
A Local Motors micro-factory is typically 40,000 sf and includes 20,000 sf for a Lab, used for co-creation, research, technology, education and free community events; 10,000 sf for a Vehicle Showroom and Retail Store; 10,000 sf for a Build Floor to accommodate light assembly of products and vehicles.
Two New Micro-factories to Break Ground in 2015
Local Motors is pleased to announce two new micro-factory locations: one in Knoxville, Tenn. and one at National Harbor, just outside Washington DC. The Knoxville location highlights the collaboration between Local Motors and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which signed a deal a year ago to design, build and print the world's first 3D-printed car. The Local Motors Knoxville micro-factory will focus on rapid commercialize of advanced manufacturing learning's from ORNL Manufacturing Demonstration Faculty and highlights the company's commitment to being a member of the newly announced iACME. Debuting the world's first 3D-printed car at NAIAS demonstrates the success of the public-private partnership.
The micro-factory in National Harbor will be where the first fleet of 3D-printed cars will be manufactured and sold. The location is set to break ground in Q3 2015, with the first 3D-printed vehicles to be delivered and on the road shortly thereafter.
About Local Motors
Local Motors is a technology company that designs, builds, and sells vehicles. From bytes-to-bits, the Local Motors platform combines global co-creation with local micro-manufacturing to bring hardware innovations, like the world's first 3D-printed car, to market at unprecedented speed. Discover more at localmotors.com
Featured Gallery Local Motors Strati 3D-Printed Car: Detroit 2015
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