The 3D Printed Car Is Upon Us

11 years, 8 months ago - 1 March 2013, The truth about cars

3D printing is all the rage, and it caused a huge uproar when people started making guns with 3D printers. It was just a matter of time for really lethal stuff to be 3D-printed in your nerd-neighbor’s basement: A car.

Wired has the story of Jim Korr and his Urbee, a car (well, a three-wheeler) that is made while a “printer sprays molten polymer to build the chassis layer by microscopic layer until it arrives at the complete object.”

That process takes, oh, about 2,500 hours. That’s close to a year in man days, not a good cycle-time by automotive standards. In case you worry about the rigidity of printed ABS plastic: The engine and base chassis will be metal. The engine will have 10 bhp. Cost: Estimated at $50,000, could be more.

Call me when it’s ready.