I remember when 3D printers started becoming popular. Back then, I remember thinking just how cool this tech would be, and that sooner or later, we’d be able to print all sorts of interesting stuff we could only dream of.
Fast forward to today, and this is pretty much the reality. I’m sure a lot of you have at least a couple of 3D-printed knick-knacks lying around. I use a bunch of them on a near-daily basis, such as my action camera mount on my helmet, or some spacers I use on my bike rack.
But what about actual serious stuff? What about motorcycle parts?
Well it seems that this is already a reality, and we’ll soon be seeing more of it in an industry that’s seeing an increasingly electric future. Stark Future, the makers of the high-performance Varg off-road EV motorcycle, is among the first to integrate 3D printing tech into its manufacturing processes—or at least it hopes to be.
You see, Stark Future has entered into a strategic partnership with Farsoon Technologies, a company specializing in industrial 3D printing. And of course, this company’s 3D printing expertise goes way beyond anything the 3D printer you have in your basement is capable of doing.
3D printing tech quite literally has the potential to make all sorts of crazy components in intricate shapes and patterns no other manufacturing technique can produce. And in the case of Stark Future, it’s eyeing advanced large-format metal powder bed fusion technology—quite a mouthful, but in laymans’ terms, it’s essentially titanium 3D printing. Pretty sick, right?
In fact, Stark Future’s CEO Anton Wass has high hopes for titanium 3D printing, and how it can not only make high-performance components more accessible, but also reduce their production time in the process. “Stark strongly believes that mass production of Titanium 3D printing is a natural next step in producing better motorcycles,” he said.
Stark Future’s main investment in Farsoon’s tech is a machine called the FS721M-H-8-CAMS large-format metal 3D printing system. This thing has a 750 x 420 x 650 mm (29 x 16 x 26 inch) build cylinder that allows the production of some pretty big components. And while it’s nowhere nearly big enough to actually print a whole motorcycle, well, at this point, it’s really just a matter of time.
3D printing in high-performance applications is nothing new. In fact, 3D-printed components can be found all over F1 cars, MotoGP bikes, and even on equipment used by NASA on space missions. So yeah, clearly 3D printing is fast becoming a mainstream production method.
Nevertheless, the idea of having printed components on a motorcycle seems pretty wild to me—even if said components are printed out of titanium and have been proven and tested in the most rigorous of environments. But hey, the future is well and truly now, and if all this new tech will bring about badass and fun-to-ride bikes, then I’m all for it.
Sources: Voxel Matters, Farsoon Technologies
