Today, you may not see 3D printed vehicles out on the roads, or even at dealerships. Rather, you typically would only see them in the form of models such as Local Motor’s “Strati” and the “Blade” from Divergent 3D. However, as 3D printing technology continues ti grow and advance, the idea of actually manufacturing 3D printed cars may soon be a reality. The Israeli police recently reiterated this with their unveiling of the first ever 3D printed police vehicle. Almost appearing as if it were a convertible Jeep, the vehicle was recently released at an Israeli defense technology conference.
Although the vehicle is not yet operational, many high ranking officials in security and intelligence were quite impressed with its potential and appearance. When designing the vehicle. the team had to integrate parts from a variety of other vehicles in order to supplement the 3D printed parts. Just to list a few, the engine integrated into the vehicle comes from an electric scooter, the steering wheel was taken from a Citroen Berlingo van and the power steering system was taken from a police helicopter. MASSIVit 3D provided the 3D printed bodyu of the vehicle according to a project member, Oded Levin.
The Israeli Police’s 3D printed vehicle
Initially, a small model was built – about the size of a hand. Once everything checked out with this prototype, the body was 3D printed and given a James Bond number 007 to honor Roger Moore who passed away during the project. The Israeli police force then debuted this revolutionary vehicle at the previously mentioned annual defense technology conference for Israel. According to Inspector General Roni Alsheikh,
“I’ve been keeping tabs on the project for a long time, and I’m happy to see that not only is police participation in the conference increasing, but the police undertook to sponsor and host this year’s event.”
Just merely having a 3D printed car within a major police force highlights the continual growth of 3D printing and the positive impact it can provide the automotive manufacturing industry. Just as the concept of automobile continues to evolve, with the integration of driver-less technology growing more in more, 3D printing is concurrently evolving into a full scale manufacturing technique. Although the thought of having 3D printed cars may still sound bizarre to most, the benefits it offers are undeniable. According to Divergent 3D’s CEO, Kevin Czinger,
“Divergent 3D’s technology can reduce the vehicle structure weight of a standard five passenger car by over 50 percent and reduce the number of parts per vehicle by over 75 percent, just as importantly, it can reduce the upfront capital cost required for hard metal tooling and stamping equipment (along with the associated factory costs) by up to 10x or more. The cost implications of our technology for automakers everywhere are huge. We’re also proud of the environmental benefits of our approach to car production—which we call Planet-Saving Manufacturing™—and intend to unleash a 3D-printing- driven rebirth of the auto industry as one that uses far less energy and natural resources, produces less waste, and manufactures vehicles that require much less energy to operate (whatever the source of that energy may be).”
The 3D printed Blade
The cost efficiency of 3D printed is perhaps the greatest benefit the technology provides. If full scale production of the vehicle ever becomes a reality, the amount of money the Israeli Police Force could potentially save would be immaculate.
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Original Source: https://3dprint.com/177289/3d-printed-police-car/