You Would not Download A Automotive, But You Could 3D Print A Dirt Bike

People of a certain generation may misremember the “You would not download a automotive” anti-piracy ads. It seemed ludicrous on the time that such a thing would even be possible, especially over a slower-than-molasses dial-up connection. Today, download speeds have significantly improved. You continue to cannot 3D print a complete automotive, but you possibly can print a variety of parts. Motorcycles are just a little easier. Pantheon Design has even successfully 3D printed an electrical dirt bike using its HS-Pro printer.

CEO Bob Cao dreamed of owning a Honda Motocompo, a tiny motorcycle designed to fold up and fit at the back of a Honda City hatchback. After being disenchanted within the revived version called the Motocompacto, Cao decided to 3D print his own bike. Pantheon just isn’t within the motorcycle business, however the 3D printing business, so Cao has the technology and know-how to do it.

Motorcycles have been in Pantheon’s blood from the start. In response to the corporate’s About page, Pantheon grew out of a bike shop that Cao and CTO Alex Wiecke began, originally as a method to create parts. One example of a 3D-printed part on the HS-Pro’s page is a recreation of a Honda brake lever that matches the strength of the unique aluminum part. One among the corporate’s stated missions is even to “race a 3D printed motorcycle in Dakar.”

After 3D printing the Pantheon Compo, the corporate’s human crash test dummies tested it only a bit too hard. They realized that since they were already riding it like a dust bike, they could as well redesign it to take the abuse, and the Enduro Compo was born. We do not know the electrical drivetrain’s specs, however the video shows it’s plenty fast enough to tackle mountain bike trails, a stunt park, and large jumps.

I appreciate Cao’s candor about what broke during these torture sessions and why. The bike Cao rode broke a footpeg when it crashed from the jump and hit the bottom hard. This might occur to any bike, not only 3D-printed materials. The advantage is that he’ll have a brand new part in his hand after three hours of printing, while you’ll need to order a substitute part online or from a store, which might take days and even weeks. The second bike cracked the steering head, but Cao realized too late that this was a test frame that was never meant to be ridden, especially this tough. It’s like by chance sending the Space Shuttle Enterprise test vehicle to space. It’s amazing it held up in addition to it did.

Most of us haven’t got a 3D printing factory at our disposal, however the technology is rapidly evolving and coming down in price. Perhaps in the long run, downloading and 3D printing a automotive won’t seem so ludicrous in any case.