World’s first bike “grown” from powder.

Link

The European aerospace and defense group has created the worlds first "air bike" using a new manufacturing process.

Its made of nylon but strong enough to replace steel and doesn't require and maintenance of construction.

The “revolutionary” manufacturing process is known as Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM). It allows single products to be grown from a fine powder of metal (such as titanium, stainless steel or aluminum), nylon or carbon-reinforced plastics. Similar in concept to 3D printing, the bike design is perfected using computer-aided design and then constructed by using a powerful laser-sintering process that adds successive, thin layers of the chosen structural material until a solid, fully-formed bike emerges.

The technology is likely to be employed in industrial applications such as aerospace, the motor industry and engineering. Studies show that for every 1kg reduction in weight, airlines can save around $3500 worth of fuel over the lifespan of the aircraft, with corresponding reductions in carbon-dioxide emissions.

The company claims the process itself uses about one-tenth of the material required in traditional manufacturing and reduces waste

Well this is cool and another step in the right direction its seems we are living in a great age, many amazing things are happening right now that is getting me excited, I'm just waiting on nuclear fusion and anti-gravity...

The company claims the process itself uses about one-tenth of the material required in traditional manufacturing and reduces waste, and allows products to be produced quickly and cheaply on “printers” located in offices, shops and houses. It would allow replacement components to be produced in remote regions, improving logistics on humanitarian relief and military operations.

We've had this tech for a while, but until now it has been nothing more than a crude demonstration for what can be done if the tech was developed further.

Here's a homemade 3D printer using plastics.



Here's one that uses powder and a binder to create 3D objects.




This will have great applications in a broad range of industries.

Industrially speaking, this is probably the most paradigm-changing technoglogy since the computer and robotics. I've seen some incredible demonstrations lately using 3D printers. I wonder what a car will cost when it can be built in an hour for a mere fraction of the current cost with quality control that simply can't be matched using current technology?

reply to post by patent98310


Yeah I've seen stuff like that before but the important thing about this new technique is its now industrial strength and could replace steel plus its uses 1/10th the amount of material than conventional methods

Really interesting. A few thoughts.

Has the potential to act like the industrial revolution in reverse. In the first industrial revolution hand crafted 'bespoke' products made by artisans were edged out in favour of mass runs of identical items. If these printers replace traditional tooling the per unit manufacture cost of one item and 1000 get closer to parity. Bespoke becomes cost effective again.

Big implications for IPR. At the moment stealing a design is only part of the puzzle since you also usually need the tooling for production. With this anybody that steals the CATIA model can make it. Want a product, rip the model off piratebay and take it to your local 'general purpose print factory'.

Has the potential to reduce the benefits of outsourcing industrial manufacture to third world nations.

On the downside, the creative freedom brings with it a potential product safety assurance nightmare.

sorry to burst all your bubbles, but its marketing hype


To think that you can build complicated peices of machinery out of one material is ludicrous.

plastics cannot replace metals in everything and all metals are not the same.

there are dozens of different steels in an automobile and they cannot be produced by "printing" or by high pressure laser sintering.

reply to post by punkinworks10


There are very practical applications for this technology.

I remember reading, a few years ago, in Discover Magazine, how the U.S. Navy was on the brink of perfecting a 3D printer for all the steel replacement parts it needs to bring along on its vessels.

Instead of having to transport a certain amount of every possible nut, bolt, screw etc... possibly needed, it was honing in on the technology to bring steel shavings from which it could "print" the necessary part on demand. Needless to say, this would free up a massive amount of area which could be used for other purposes than material storage.

EDIT: Here is the link... I thought it would be more difficult to find... ahhh laziness!?!
Discover Article

the Billmeister

reply to post by roughycannon


S & F = This is awesome Science&Tech.

The real question, is how do you have any sort of gun control if you can just print one off?

Originally posted by punkinworks10
sorry to burst all your bubbles, but its marketing hype


To think that you can build complicated peices of machinery out of one material is ludicrous.

plastics cannot replace metals in everything and all metals are not the same.

there are dozens of different steels in an automobile and they cannot be produced by "printing" or by high pressure laser sintering.

No-one said it was completely made of this material neither does the article we are not stupid we know that it will be the main body frames and shells that will made from this, you can clearly see in the pic that the chain, tyres and seat are made from different material DOH!

To think that you can build complicated peices of machinery out of one material is ludicrous.

Exactly the only problem is your the only person on this thread that's mentioned that...

Nice way to find the most expensive raw materials to base a frame on, should please the masses huh?

Originally posted by DragonTattooz
Industrially speaking, this is probably the most paradigm-changing technoglogy since the computer and robotics. I've seen some incredible demonstrations lately using 3D printers. I wonder what a car will cost when it can be built in an hour for a mere fraction of the current cost with quality control that simply can't be matched using current technology?

ooo you've got my mouth watering now

cheap ferrari's and sports cars, it isn't hard to picture a world full of futuristic looking cars now! we still need to overcome dependency on oil though because its becoming more and more expensive to own a sports car just because of high fuel prices. But I suppose this technology could be employed to mass produce cars that run on air or water, so thats a bonus. It definitely is paradigm changing! it will change the very way people view the world and whats possible. Nano-assembly machines like replicators in star trek will be what this tech evolves into.

reply to post by roughycannon


Hey first post, just joined so I could note a few things.
The Bike grown in powder is an old technique, i've been in design for 10 years and I can remember it being old technology when I started, we particularly shunned this type of technology as it is extremely wasteful. Say your using a 1m cubed tank with a weight of 1tonne powder, a bike is produced via the laser centering technology, very similar to LCD tv but in a 3D sense instead of 2D. But say a 50 kg bike was produced, then 950kg is wasted as the powder is a mix of chemicals and the desired material, as far as I am aware the chemicals are depleted and the whole powder needs to be processed and used from new.
Secondly yes, this technology will change the world, the 3D printer you shown is a REP RAP model, which basically can produce itself, amazingly the place they make them is a university and thats only a few miles from me, I am also currently building one for home. Besides the point, the technology coming will go like this, you buy some milk, use the milk, chop up the milk carton (if PPE ETC) put it into the machines melting pot (in design as we speak not yet available to public) this can then in turn build your young childs sandal shoes. Of course a year later they've grown out of it, chop up the shoes, add a milk carton, scale up design, hey presto new shoe slightly larger, and you've recycled the old one, sustainable living (bar the energy needed)

Now run with the idea, every home has a REPRAP 3d printer (cost around £400 for a self build, £600 if you buy it from the retailers already made) and your washing machine plastic clip which is vital for it not to leak breaks. Just go on the makers website, download the 3d design, plug and go, Building our own parts in our own homes.

Hope this was a little help.

I told my friends that in the near future, the shop and office chit chat, and bragging rights won't be about "what you have", but rather, "How good is your home 3D printer?"

Some households will only be able to print plastic home products because their printers will use a petroleum based "ink/ toner", and the better and more expensive ones will use advanced polyorea's and liquid metals in their toners. The ones who can afford it will be able to print the "MOST" things. The new game will begin. The new pecking order will be established in your crazy future social life.

reply to post by Khaaaaaan!!


Amazingly enough the guys who design the REPRAP models main plastic is plant based, they decided to use petroleum based plastics after using plant based plastics, they urge all new designs to be done in the bio-plastic and only use petroleum based plastics which are recycled.

This doesn't mean your limited to buying specific bio-plastic brands, your local supermarket should be using a plant based plastic in their carrier bags, possibly your chewing gum etc as long as they are ground and heated specifically, but REPRAP should have this sorted with a hopper in the making.

The funny thing is, this technology has been around for 20 years. I know, I've been using it for that long.

And every 2-5 years, someone starts the rounds with these news articles about it, revamping and hyping the process. I can't tell you how many times I've had this conversation with people. Last time is when they started calling in '3D Printing'.

Yes, expansion of materials of various properties is a game changer. A bigger one would be getting the price down from 10-100k plus to say, 500 dollars.

reply to post by Jadette


Are you blind.
3d printers have now become 500 dollars.
Why do you be-little the name '3d printing',
it is the name for the process and has only been about 10-15 years.
other forms were about before, but we are talking specifically about 3d printing, not other CAD/CAM technology.