Arc Bicycle bike printed on a 3D printer
Dutch students created an Arc bikeBicycle on a stainless steel frame using 3D printing technology. In this they helped the development of a local company MX3D, which in 2013 created an unusual 3D printer Material. A unique device, called a "robot arm," can print with a special resin on a variety of surfaces.
Bicycles printed on a 3D printermetal frames already exist, although they are not too widespread. They are usually made by sintering a metal powder with a laser. However, recently a group of students from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands decided to use a different approach - they made the world's first stainless steel bicycle using 3D printing technology based on melting metal and welding.
The students worked together with the Amsterdamcompany MX3D, which in 2013 introduced a 3D printer Mataerial. Unlike traditional devices that create objects horizontally on a flat surface, this model uses a robotic mechanical manipulator that feeds the resin to both horizontal and vertical surfaces. Columns of resin can be bent and connected to each other during 3D printing, and then they solidify in forms resembling works of modern art.
Not so long ago MX3D developed the model Mataerial,which works with metal. First the printer puts out some metal, then, after solidification, adds molten metal from above - this continues until a small column of metal is created. The device controls where the metal is fed, and allows you to control the direction of the columns - they can even intersect with each other. The process does not require supporting structures and, if desired, allows the creation of fairly large objects.
The bicycle weighs about the same astraditional models with a steel frame, and according to the developers, their bicycle is quite suitable for comfortable riding along the cobbled streets of the city. Due to its unique design, the frame itself extinguishes small vibrations that occur during driving.
"It was important for us to develop a functional objectfrom everyday life, - says one of the developers, Stef de Grot. - Students in the Netherlands, of course, primarily comes to mind a bicycle. A bicycle frame is an excellent test for technology, due to the complex combination of forces acting on it. "
