News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Olli 2.0, the autonomous electric vehicle from the ground sustainable mobility company Local Motors, now includes 3D printed parts manufactured by CRP Technology using Windform composite materials.
Sakuú Corporation, a company leading the development of an automated multi-material multi-process additive manufacturing to produce 3D printed SSBs (solid-state batteries), today closed a follow-on financing round bringing total funds raised to date to $62M. This funding bolsters the company’s ability to commercialize its first-generation solid-state batteries and bring to market the world’s first multi-material multi-process additive manufacturing platform that will 3D print its second-generation SSBs and other active devices.
In an effort to highlight its commitment to technology, Eastern Michigan University’s (EMU) GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology will deploy autonomous Olli smart EV shuttles this school year as it will open a new research and development space at the American Center for Mobility (ACM) in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Sakuu Corporation (previously KeraCel Inc.), a pioneer in automated multi-process additive manufacturing (AM), presented a new industrial-grade battery 3D printer, developed specifically for e-mobility batteries. The breakthrough technology is intended to unlock the mainstream adoption of EV and e-mobility vehicles by solving the previous issues of cost, performance, sustainability, and range. Offering an industrial scale ‘local’ battery production capability, the Sakuu technology is likely to significantly expedite the use of EV’s, by providing increased manufacturer and consumer confidence.
CHAMPP, an Alloyed‘s consortium, has been awarded a significant grant to research, develop and test an innovative new hybrid production process that will address a number of the key limitations of additive manufacturing for the automotive sector, specifically electric vehicles (EVs). The Casting-Hybrid-Additive-Manufacturing-Parts-Production (CHAMPP) program brings together a critical mass of technical and market expertise with three key partners, namely Alloyed, Brunel University London’s BCAST, Gestamp, and its affiliate Autotech.
Local Motor‘s recent deal with door2door to bring its smart 3D printed EVs to Germany shows that the new generation of smart EVs is on the way. Local Motors was among the companies that first leveraged the concept of a distributed automated factories and it did so by making heavy use of LFAM composite 3D printing for large sections of the Olli vehicles. Arrival may be the first company to fully deploy highly automated Arrival Microfactories to produce an entire family of next-gen EVs. However, while the company has shown heavy use of robots it has not yet made any reference to implementing 3D printing processes for parts production.
Local Motors, a leader in the design, manufacturing, and deployment of autonomous vehicles, and Protean Electric, a specialist of in-wheel motor technology for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and future transport solutions, have expanded their long-standing partnership, inking a further three-year deal valued at $7.3 million. Under this significant new order, Protean Electric will deliver thousands of its ProteanDrive in-wheel motors (IWMs) to power Local Motors’ largely 3D printed Olli 2.0 electric autonomous shuttles, accelerating the rollout of state-of-the-art vehicles around the world.
In the beginning, it was the Blade, a concept hypercar featuring the first fully 3D printed frame and a number of other 3D printed parts. That early concept was used by the startup Divergent 3D to raise funds and acquire multiple production metal 3D printers from SLM Solutions; today it has evolved into the Czinger 21C a finished hypercar, the first such vehicle ever built using no tools and featuring an unprecedented number of fully 3D printed parts.
Sakuu Corporation (previously KeraCel Inc.), a specialist in automated multi-process additive manufacturing, obtained three patents related to EV battery 3D printing; a hybrid solid-state cell with a sealed anode structure, an additive manufacturing system with the ability to create an active device such as a micro-reactor or solid-state battery, and an electrophotographic multi-material 3D printer.
Local Motors recently began the first-ever project autonomous vehicle project moving packages around Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar using the Olli autonomous electric shuttle.