Blade 3D printed supercar.
Divergent Microfactories has revealed Blade, the world’s first 3D printed supercar, one of the greenest and most powerful cars in the world. Applying 3D printing to reduce pollution, materials and costs of automotive manufacturing, the car marks a huge stamp in the company’s plan to dematerialise and democratise car manufacturing.
Divergent Microfactories’ technology centres around its proprietary solution called a Node: a 3D-printed aluminium joint that connects pieces of carbon fibre tubing to make up the car’s chassis. Dramatically reducing material and energy use, the Node cuts down on the actual amount of 3D printing required to build the chassis and can be assembled in just minutes. In addition, the weight of the Node-enabled chassis is up to 90% lighter than traditional cars, despite being much stronger and more durable.
“Society has made great strides in its awareness and adoption of cleaner and greener cars. The problem is that while these cars do now exist, the actual manufacturing of them is anything but environmentally friendly,” said Kevin Czinger, founder & CEO, Divergent Microfactories. “At Divergent Microfactories, we’ve found a way to make automobiles that holds the promise of radically reducing the resource use and pollution generated by manufacturing. It also holds the promise of making large-scale car manufacturing affordable for small teams of innovators. And as Blade proves, we’ve done it without sacrificing style or substance. We’ve developed a sustainable path forward for the car industry that we believe will result in a renaissance in car manufacturing, with innovative, eco-friendly cars like Blade being designed and built in microfactories around the world.”
Equipped with a 700-horsepower bi-fuel engine that can use either compressed natural gas or gasoline, Blade goes from 0-60 in about two seconds and weighs around 1,400 pounds. Divergent Microfactories plans to sell a limited number of high-performance vehicles that will be manufactured in its own microfactory.
Divergent Microfactories’ goal is enable small entrepreneurial teams to set up their own microfactories and build their own cars. These microfactories will make innovation affordable while reducing the health and environmental impacts of traditional manufacturing.
Though the Blade is being promoted as the world's first 3D printed "supercar", it is certainly not the first car in the world to feature 3D printed parts. The Strati car, created by Local Motors in Carbon Fibre reinforced material, stole headlines last year when it drove off the IMTS exhibition floor in Chicago.
