DETROIT -- In rectangular space on the Detroit auto show floor about the size of an extended van, Local Motors is using a 3-D printer to create the body of its Strati car in about 44 hours. In a few days, the Strati, which means "layers" in Italian, will be assembled and drivable.
The operation on the show floor gives attendees a glimpse of the functions of Local Motors' microfactories, which build the company’s products including an off-road racer called Rally Fighter and a motorized bicycle called the Cruiser.
The suburban Phoenix company operates two microfactories, one at its headquarters and one in Las Vegas. And those microfactories are about to multiply. Local Motors plans to open two more in the third quarter -- one in Knoxville Tenn., near Local Motors' partner, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which has a large 3-D printer, and one in National Harbor, Md., near Washington.
"We wanted a partner who was capable of getting it done quickly. We want it open by the fall," CEO John Rogers said.
Another draw was that National Harbor is very retail-focused, he said. There is also access to great researchers and scientists in the D.C. area, as well as universities.
Local motors wants to "show the promise of 3-D printed vehicles and make it possible to get them on the road," Rogers said.
The printing machinery at the auto show glides back and forth, layering plastic into the shape of a car. Beside the printer is a station for engineers to shape the body for aesthetic appeal and for more efficiency when mounting hardware. When the body is complete, the team will install the engine, lights and tires. Eventually the Strati will be finished with vinyl wrapping, paint and other surface treatment.
Local Motors says its first fleet of 3-D printed cars will be manufactured at the Maryland microfactory in the fourth quarter. The two new microfactories each will generate about 100-150 jobs, Local Motors CFO Jean Paul Capin Gally said.
“Microfactories are a great counterpoint because they employ an economy of scope by taking advantage of low-cost tooling and co-creation, resulting in the ability to get products to market faster and in less time while using less capital to find a winning concept,” Rogers said in a statement.
Eventually, Local Motors aims to print the body of a car in one day. At the Detroit show, the fully assembled, freshly printed 1,900-pound Strati is expected to drive on an auto show track at the end of this week.
