Italdesign, a cool engineering and design firm that specializes in cars, just announced that they’re using something called the Stratasys 3DFashion platform to print the interiors of their newest concept car, the Climb-E.
This car is super unique – it’s like a combination of a home and an elevator, and it was created through a collaboration between Italdesign, Schindler (an elevator manufacturer), and the Polytechnic University of Turin.
What’s unique about the Climb-E
What’s interesting is that the Climb-E is a bit unusual – it’s half dwelling, half elevator.
So, the work that Italdesign did on the interior is one of the most practical applications of the whole project.
They used the Stratasys J850 TechStyle 3D printer to print graphics directly onto Alcantara,
which is a synthetic textile commonly used in the auto industry.
This material is popular as a substitute for suede and is very durable, making it a great choice for car seating.
Italdesign’s senior designer,
Claudia Gilardi was impressed with the Stratasys 3DFashion platform when she saw it at Milan Design Week last year. Stratasys had even created an entirely 3D-printed fashion line, which is pretty cool if you ask me.
Anyway, Gilardi and her team used the J850 TechStyle printer to make the backrest surfaces of the Climb-E seats,
which change colour depending on the angle you look at them from.
Now, I know the Climb-E sounds kind of crazy – like, who needs a detachable, autonomous elevator home, right?
But the real substance of this whole project is the 3D-printed interiors for cars.
That’s a real thing that’s happening, and there are so many potential applications for 3D printing sensors for wearable electronics too, which is the same idea.
It’s easy to imagine this kind of mass personalization taking off with people who buy luxury cars.
So, even though some of these projects may seem a bit crazy, there’s always some real substance to them.
And who knows, maybe one day we’ll all be driving around in cars with 3D-printed interiors!
