Local Motors and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have signed a new partnership to develop and deliver technology to produce the world's first production 3-D printed vehicle.

 

This new partnership will explore vehicle design and construction using 3D printing technologies. Using a combination of material science and cutting-edge advanced manufacturing techniques that are both additive and subtractive, researchers will explore making vehicle construction more efficient, including lower production time, costs, and part count, coupled with higher standards of control, safety, aesthetics and mechanical flexibility.

 

"By invoking the principle of open-source, this partnership – and future efforts like it – will drive a true paradigm shift in hardware product development and automotive manufacturing technologies," said Jay Rogers, Co-Founder and CEO of Local Motors. "Just as exciting as the vision of delivering the first direct digital manufactured car, is that we will be engaging future consumers to contribute and evangelize its creation. We are living in a time when speed to market trumps slow-going protectionism. Local Motors' open development platform is what delivers this very speed."

 

The partnership will make use of the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) located at ORNL, which focuses on numerous forms of additive, subtractive and direct digital manufacturing. It helps industry adopt new manufacturing technologies that reduce life-cycle energy and greenhouse gas emissions, lower production cost and create new products and opportunities for high-paying jobs.

 

ORNL believes this new partnership will help push the envelope on emerging technologies, such as large scale additive manufacturing.