WHAT WEIGHS 77 pounds, goes at 80 km/h and looks like a Swiss cheese on wheels?
An electric motorcycle made from tiny aluminum alloy particles using a 3D printer of course.
European aeronautics giant Airbus unveiled the ‘Light Rider’ in Germany on yesterday, with company boss Tom Enders taking a spin on the group’s latest innovation.
Manufactured by its subsidiary APWorks, a specialist in additive layer manufacturing, the motorcycle uses hollow frame parts that contain the cables and pipes.
The frame weighs just 13 pounds, about 30% less than conventional e-motorbikes.
APWorks chief executive Joachim Zettler said the complex, branched hollow structure wouldn’t have been possible with conventional production technologies such as milling or welding. Airbus is trying to apply the same principle on aircraft.
The company is taking orders for a limited run of 50 motorbikes, costing €50,000 plus tax apiece.
The bikes will have a range of 60 kilometres.
The group plans to present a 3D printed twin-engined aircraft prototype at the Berlin Air Show in June.
With AFP
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