Video: 3D Printing at Local Motors
3D printing plays multiple roles at the company’s Knoxville microfactory, from prototyping to the production of parts for autonomous vehicles.
Local Motors relies on 3D printing to produce its vehicles—specifically, the Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) technology that builds parts for its vehicles in carbon fiber-filled ABS. The Olli self-driving vehicle, for instance, features two large top and bottom pieces in its construction that are produced on the BAAM. The technology allows for toolingless manufacturing that saves material costs and speeds time to production.
But part production isn’t the only way the company is using—and advancing—3D printing technology. Brittany Stotler, vice president of marketing, talks about the role of 3D printing at Local Motors’ Knoxville, Tennessee, microfactory in the video above.
Related Content
-
50 Years...600 Issues...and Still Counting
Matt Naitove marks his first half-century in plastics reporting, with a few of his favorite headlines.
-
Automation in Thermoforming on the Rise
Equipment suppliers’ latest innovations exemplify this trend driven by factors such as labor shortages, higher-speed thermoformers and tighter quality control.
-
Ensuring Repeatability: The Key to Effective Injection Molding Automation
One of automation’s key promises is repeatability: the same movement to the same location, time and time again. But to achieve that, all elements involved — robot, machine, EOAT, mold — must be in and stay in alignment.