Local Motors has unveiled the Strati, the world's first automobile to be manufactured via 3D printing.
The Strati, whose name means "layers" in Italian, isn't the hottest car being displayed at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), where car manufacturers show off their latest, most powerful creations encased in shiny new metal. However, the chunky plastic two-seater sets the bar for being the most innovative vehicle at the Detroit auto show.
The car's body is made from ABS plastic reinforced by carbon fiber using a three-phase printing process that takes up approximately 44 hours. It is then outfitted with an electric battery and suspension supplied by French automaker Renault so that it can drive around the neighborhood at a top speed of 25 miles per hour.
That's not much, but for Local Motors CEO Jay Rogers, the Strati is the first model in a line of 3D printed vehicles that his company plans to produce and refine. No timeline has been set for mass production, but Local Motors hopes to get the Strati rolling out on American streets in the future.
"We believe in innovation, we believe in technology, and we believe in strong job opportunities," says Rogers. "In the United States and anywhere people can invent."
Along with the finished product, Local Motors has also put up a display for onlookers to view the company's printing process that takes place at its existing microfactories in Glendale, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada. Right inside the Cobo Center in Detroit, Local Motors engineers have started printing a second Strati layer by layer from scratch.
Next to the printer station, another group of engineers will be shaping the car's body for aesthetic appeal and efficiency for installing the tires, engine and lights. They will finish with vinyl wrapping, painting, and other surface treatments. The vehicle will run the test track on the center's lower layers on the last day of the auto show.
The company hopes that it will eventually be able to shorten printing time to 12 hours or two shifts. For now, it costs Local Motors some $5 to $7 to print every pound of the car, which amounts up to a total of 1,100 pounds. Estimated price for the Strati is around $25,000 to $35,000 depending on the customizations requested by the customer.
Local Motors is also planning to build additional two microfactories in Knoxville, Tennessee and in National Harbor, Maryland, where the first 3D printed cars that will be sold to the public will be manufactured. Both microfactories are said to create more than 100 jobs each.
A microfactory looks like a small greenhouse where Local Motors' research, production, showroom, and retail store are all located. Chief financial officer Jean Paul Capin Gally says microfactories are more relevant than large-scale manufacturing facilities because it allows the company to "make locally relevant vehicles."
"Gone are the days of an economy of scale in order to introduce and commercialize a technology," says Rogers in a statement. "Microfactories 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."
