Lighter e-bikes mean more travel per charge. Image source: Arevo
Following on from what I’d learned about 3D printing in the construction industry, I was curious to find out how the technology was being applied to smaller, everyday products. I came across a story about a firm in Silicon Valley called AREVO, who had won the JEC World Composites Challenge in Paris in March through the 3D printing of parts and structures, such as bicycle frames and aircraft seats. These were applications that everyone could relate to; small, tangible items that 3D printing looks set to have an enormous impact on the manufacturing of.
AREVO CEO, Hemant Bheda, has an interesting idea that he calls the “Factory-in-a-box”, which I was particularly eager to find out more about. It’s a grand idea, a possibly world changing one… Could it really be that every home could have a 3D printer in it? I started to become very interested in the social implications that 3D printing could have; on people, work and everyday life. So, I caught up with him to have a chat about his idea and how AREVO is approaching 3D printing.
When Hemant first started out, he wanted to be more of a problem solver. His company was interested in finding solutions to existing problems. But it soon became clear that 3D printing was a solution in of itself.
“The secret is having the right team. Not compartmentalising and separating everyone, but a holistic structure,” he said. “The other key is in the software. Get that right and the rest follows.”
Hemant gave the example of bicycle frames, something that AREVO has been working on.
“With traditional bicycle frames, there are around 27 parts that must be made manually and glued together. It’s dirty, messy work and it’s unsustainable. Even the design of them takes one and a half years. All in all, this process from design to manufacture goes through an average of 55 people. The human factor really reduces efficiency.”
With the factory-in-a-box concept, the whole model of how a consumer picks and chooses a bicycle would change. He or she would go to their bike shop, choose the design that they like best, then come back the following day and collect their brand new 3D printed bike.
"The biggest obstacles for 3D printing at present," says Hemant, "is the price and the know-how."
He has a point. The cost of the technology currently makes a 3D printed bicycle prohibitively expensive for most people. The e-Road bike will set you back somewhere in the region of $5,000-6,000. But, of course, there was a time when only the rich could afford personal computers and mobile phones. The costs will drop as the tech takes off.
A similar pattern is true of the know-how. Thirty years ago, significantly fewer people knew how to do basic operations on a computer. Today, in most parts of the world, that knowledge is practically a given, especially for the younger generation.
At this moment, that future is still a long way off. AREVO has been making around 2 bicycle frames per week, using the current technology, though Hemant believes that this can be sped up rapidly to 2 per day by the end of the year.
There are other benefits to using 3D printing to make products that used to contain a lot of small parts. The very fact that 27 parts of a traditional bike frame have now become merged into one, means that there’s a lot less scope for breakages.
On top of that using thermoplastic as a material means there’s less waste and overall, 50% less materials needed to make one bike frame, not to mention it’s a non-toxic material to work with, which is a huge benefit to workers in bike factories and shops. As an added bonus, the material looks like a kind of layered metal, making the end result aesthetically pleasing too.
Hemant refers to it as "dumbed down carbon fibre" but there the technology is far from dumb. Its applications reach way beyond bicycles too. In fact, AREVO are currently also producing aircraft seats. The benefits are similar to those of the bike frames; with less connected parts, manufacture is easier and there is less to break.
A metal seat bracket was examined for parts integration and weight reduction using Xplorator™'s generative design module. Image source: Arevo
As was the case for COBOD in the construction industry, added mainstream credibility has come in the form of investment. Especially when in November 2018, AREVO received Series B investment from Airbus.
And what of the wider social implications? Hemant says that 3D printing applications are being looked at as an answer to some of the transport and agricultural problems in developing nations. Again, it won't be forthcoming anytime soon, but those hailing 3D printing as a factory-in-a-box may yet see it come to pass in their lifetimes.
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