Cars are big and heavy, and that means they use a lot of energy while traveling. It’s easy to understand why these behemoths have traditionally been so weighty, though: It takes countless parts to make a modern car, and it’s mostly made out of steel for structural stability. That’s all changing, however, now that large-scale 3D-printing is becoming a reality. These new cars can use less parts and lighter materials to offer the same functionality and safety with less complexity and energy required. With the Urbee 2, Kor Ecologic is making a small two-passenger vehicle with a 3D-printed exterior. It’s highly efficient, light, and extremely safe in spite of being made of plastic.
In an article on Wired, the Urbee 2′s lead designer Jim Kor talks in-depth about the process being used to create this lightweight aerodynamic marvel. Using the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) method, thin layers of plastic are sprayed one after the other for about 2,500 hours until an entire car exterior is created. Thanks to the customizability afforded by this production method, different thicknesses and patterns can be used to reinforce the structure. This leaves us with a product as strong as traditional cars, but at a fraction of the weight.
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