We’ve seen all sorts of objects printed from 3D printers, but the European Areospace and Defence group (EADS) has shown off the first bike made from nylon – which they’re saying could replace traditional steel and aluminium bikes due to the affordable method it’s created.
Drip by drop, each part of the bike is made from powder using the Additive Layer Manufacturing process of 3D printing, with the machine connected to a computer loaded with the CAD bike design.
Aluminium bikes are already pretty light, but EADS is saying their nylon Airbike is 65 per cent lighter. It’s also more eco-friendly to produce, and due to the nature of 3D printing, individual parts can be printed easily if damaged. I really like the look of it, but that saddle doesn’t look like it’d be much of a friend to my bum. [Eureka Magazine via RepRap via MAKE]