Urbee - The 3D Printed Car

3D printing has been discussed in class before, albeit briefly. We talked about it printing (ideally) cheap, replaceable parts, like device prototypes and lowers for rifles, to large-scale construction projects like houses. As the technology becomes easier and cheaper to use, I think we will see an improvement in quality of products produced by 3D printing, as well as widespread adoption of the process.

Case in point, the Urbee is a new, 3D printed, vehicle that runs on ethanol and electric power. Because of its 3D printing manufacturing process, the Urbee is largely able to ignore economies of scale, and can be produced in small quantities for a low price. Everything on the Urbee is printed ABS plastic, except the engines and the base chassis. It is currently still being prototyped. The current design weighs 1400 pounds, and reaches speed up to 68 mph (110 kmh). The body is designed to reduce drag, allowing for extremely high fuel-efficiency. Speeds up to 40 mph are attained through a 10 hp electric motor, and a 7 hp ethanol engine kicks in after 40 mph. The 3D printed design allows for (relatively) rapid-prototyping when changes are made. The printing time is roughly 100 days.

Over the next few years, I think we will see more and more ways of using 3D printing — some ways will be expected, and some more novel. With the increase in 3D printing, we might also see many more entrepreneurial efforts coming from small engineers and inventors. As the cost of prototyping goes down, more and more people can create products for a lower design cost.

I found this article interesting because, as an electronic hobbyist and general DIYer, the idea of having a personal 3D printer is one that has intrigued me for many years. I'd love to be able to make custom cases to house circuits, or guitar pedals, or build replacement parts for minor repairs, but unfortunately, the relatively high cost of current home models is too prohibitive for someone like myself to just go out and purchase. However, with an influx of new users and businesses in the 3D printing market, we may get to see new innovations in the field, increased supply, as well as economies of scale coming into play, resulting in a lower cost of entry into 3D printing.

As for media entertainment and sharing, since I commented on it last week during the holiday break, I'll just repost what I said then. I can't help but wonder what the future holds for DRM and piracy, as well as the evolution of the iTunes platform, and its competitors, like Amazon. I'm also interested in the viability of services like Netflix, Amazon Video, and Hulu to be TV replacements as their popularity grows and consumers leave cable behind.



Links:

Business Insider - The Game Changing Urbee