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Originally Posted by freebeard
Good answers.
Have you thought about Local Motors and microfactories, or the Maker movement in general as an avenue to low-volume production?
Is the whole thing caged, or just the driver position?
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We did speak with what I call "Loco" Motors briefly, as they previously did a real lame 3D printed car.
We also had Oak Ridge National Laboratory actually begin to 3D print the entire cab out of carbon fiber strands and ABS, believe it or not. ORNL has the world's biggest 3D printer built by Cincinnati, Inc. called BAAM. ORNL used the BAAM to 3D print a Cobra replica for the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Here it is:
Here's the giant BAAM printer. I was inside of it when I was at ORNL. I think its like $1.5M
Here is the BAMM 3D printing the Cobra frame.
ORNL used the BAMM to try and print the StarShip cab, starting with the roof cap. But the exterior finish they promised us and did not deliver, the weight of the assembly, and the poor quality of the printing proved unacceptable. The final product is only 20% CF and 80% ABS. Too heavy, too weak, too lame. We still have the 3D printed roof cap at my shop as a monument to government stupidity. Can't show any pics, sorry.
The driver, passenger, and sleeper area will be safety caged. We have 4 rear seats when the bunk is not deployed, and at any given time, those seats may be occupied while we're rolling. And safety is our number one priority.