Meet the Blade, the world’s first 3D-printed supercar
The carbon fibre-made speedster weighs less than 700kg
With 3D printing quickly becoming the construction method du jour, it was only a matter of time before someone used it to build a supercar. Divergent Microfactories has done just that, dubbing its creation the Blade.
Divergent claims the Blade’s chassis is up to 90 per cent lighter than most cars, thanks to a 3D-printed aluminium joint it calls the Node. By plugging printed carbon fiber tubes into Nodes, a light yet strong frame is created for the Blade. The vehicle weighs only 1,400lb (635kg) – less than half the kerb weight of a McLaren P1. As for its capabilities, it houses a 700HP engine fuelled by both gasoline and compressed natural gas, and can go from 0-60mph in just two seconds.
There’s no pricing as yet, but Divergent plans to produce a few more of these – albeit with a limited quantity in mind. But building its own cars isn’t the company’s ultimate aim. What it hopes is to have the platform available to other small teams to set up their own microfactories, building their own cars and perhaps moving on to bigger things in the future.
[Source: Divergent Microfactories via Engadget]
Erna Mahyuni
Contributor 
