As 3-D printing becomes increasingly common, its capabilities are growing ever larger in scale and more profound. Just recently, the Los Angeles–based company Divergent 3D built a prototype for the Blade, the world’s first 3-D–printed supercar. What separates a supercar from a traditional vehicle? Among many other distinctions, a supercar features a higher performing engine and is built in limited production. And this difference is important, since last summer Phoenix-based company Local Motors unveiled the Strati, the first 3-D–printed car. Complex as it was, the final product looked more like a GoCart than a sleek automobile. The Blade, by contrast, is a bold vehicle with a race-car design and a futuristic appearance. “Form follows function, and its design reflects an auto manufacturing future in which cars are built to be both environmentally friendly and beautiful," says Kevin Czinger, Divergent 3D’s founder and CEO.
To form the skeleton of the car, the company uses 3-D–printed aluminum Nodes—the joints that connect car parts—to attach carbon rods (safety tests for the car remain unconfirmed). As a result, the material and energy that goes into producing the car is significantly reduced, as is the cost. Furthermore, the technology allows for a vehicle that barely tips the scales at 1,400 pounds, about 90 percent lighter than traditional cars. The Blade has a single-driver compartment with beetle-wing doors on either side. The four-cylinder engine burns natural gas and generates 700 horsepower, which will carry its white-knuckled driver from zero to 60 m.p.h. in 2.2 seconds. This blistering performance is due to the Blade's power-to-weight ratio being roughly double that of a Bugatti Veyron. Divergent 3D plans to begin delivering the Blade to buyers in 2017.
