If you think that 3D printing is simply limited to just printing bones or body parts for medical purposes, think again because for all we know, one day we could be driving around in 3D printed vehicles. Heck, in fact that time appears to be now thanks to Airbus’s subsidiary APWorks who has created what they are calling the world’s first 3D printed motorcycle.Is that statement true? We suppose if we are looking 3D printed motorcycles, maybe not because for those unfamiliar, earlier this year there was a man who 3D printed a 1972 Honda CB500 motorcycle replica. However the motorcycle was merely a replica and does not actually work, while APWorks’s “Light Rider” does, although it will cost you €50,000.
The material used is melted miniscule aluminum alloy particles which helped account for its light-weight, which according to the company weighs a mere 77 pounds. It also sports an engine that will allow it to go from 0 to 50 miles in a few seconds, which isn’t exactly the fastest bike we’ve seen, but we reckon you should probably be amazed by the fact that it is 3D printed and less on its performance.
As for its somewhat alien/futuristic design, the company claims that this is a marriage of designing a bike that is both light and capable of withstanding the daily rigors of being ridden around. “The result: a motorcycle that looks more like an organic exoskeleton than a machine. That was a very deliberate design goal for APWorks, which programmed the algorithm to use bionic structures and natural growth processes and patterns as the basis for developing a strong but lightweight structure.”
The company announced that they only plan to make about 50 units, so we’re guessing that they’ll be sold out fairly quickly.
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