A team of students have designed and built a 3D printed metal bike

February 4, 2016

A Team Of Students Have Designed & Created A 3D Printed Metal Bike

Photography by TU Delft

 

A team of students from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, have designed and produced a fully functioning 3D printed stainless steel bike.

 

A Team Of Students Have Designed & Created A 3D Printed Metal Bike

Photography by TU Delft

The project took three months to complete, working together with MX3D in Amsterdam, to print the bike using multi axis robotic arms as 3D printers.

A Team Of Students Have Designed & Created A 3D Printed Metal Bike

Photography by TU Delft

The bicycle named Arc, was designed as part of a research project at the Industrial Design Engineering faculty, that looks into the viability of metal 3D printing using a welding machine.

A Team Of Students Have Designed & Created A 3D Printed Metal Bike

Photography by TU Delft

“It was important for us to design a functional object that people use everyday. Being students in the Netherlands, a bicycle naturally came to mind. A bicycle frame is a good test for the technology because of the complex forces involved.” – Stef de Groot (Arc Bicycle team)

A Team Of Students Have Designed & Created A 3D Printed Metal Bike

Photography by TU Delft

To make sure the frame stood up to daily use, the students rode the bicycle around the city of Delft. It weighs about the same as a normal steel bicycle, and performs well on the often bumpy cobblestone streets of the city.

A Team Of Students Have Designed & Created A 3D Printed Metal Bike

Photography by TU Delft

The project was coordinated by Dr. Jouke Verlinden, scientist and coordinator of the 3D Building FieldLab & Researcher on Human-Centered Digital Fabrication at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at TU Delft.

A Team Of Students Have Designed & Created A 3D Printed Metal Bike

Photography by TU Delft

The design team: Harry Anderson, Stef de Groot, Ainoa Areso Rossi, Sjoerd van de Velde, and Joost Vreeken.

A Team Of Students Have Designed & Created A 3D Printed Metal Bike

Photography by TU Delft

To see how it was made, watch the video below.