APWorks—a German-based subsidiary of the French aeronautics firm Airbus proudly presents the world’s first 3-D–printed motorcycle made using APWorks’ Scalmalloy material, weighing in at a svelte 35 kg. Dubbed the Light Rider, the new APWorks design has truly earned its name as a lightweight in its class. With a 6 kW electric motor powering it from zero to 80 km per hour in just seconds and a frame boasting a mere 6 kg, the world’s first 3D-printed electric motorcycle is 30% lighter than conventionally manufactured e-motorcycles.
APWorks 3D-Printed Motorcycle
APWorks used an algorithm to develop the Light Rider’s optimized structure to keep weight at a minimum while ensuring the motorcycle’s frame was strong enough to handle the weight loads and stresses of everyday driving scenarios. The result: a motorcycle that looks more like an organic exoskeleton than a machine.
Each 3D-printed part of the Light Rider’s frame – produced using a selective 3D laser printing system that melts millions of aluminum alloy particles together – consists of thousands of thin layers just 60 microns thick.
APWorks 3D-Printed Motorcycle
Leveraging the benefits of 3D-printing technology, APWorks designed frame parts that were hollow instead of solid, which has allowed for integrated cables, pipes and screw-on points in the finalized motorcycle structure – resulting in a dramatic 30% weight reduction over motorcycles produced using conventional manufacturing techniques.
You don’t have to wait long for the chance to ride the motorcycle of the future: APWorks is offering a limited production run of 50 Light Riders for sale, which can be pre-ordered at www.lightrider.apworks.de
APWorks 3D-Printed Motorcycle
