MX3D builds aluminium bicycle frame using Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing
September 12, 2019
MX3D, the Netherlands, has produced a lightweight aluminium bicycle frame – the Arc Bike II – using its Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology. This is the second WAAM bike frame to be produced at MX3D, following the production of a stainless steel frame designed by the students of TU Delft, the Netherlands.
Using generative design software, the aluminium bike frame’s design was developed by the MX3D team to tailor fit the proportions of the rider’s body. The design was then translated by MX3D’s proprietary software into instructions for its robotic welding arm, allowing the frame to be built within twenty-four hours.
After building, a ‘smart fixture set-up’ has been developed which would reportedly allow any custom WAAM frame to be prepared easily for riding. According to MX3D, the aluminium bicycle is one of many structures which showcase how the company’s WAAM software can be used for flexible on-demand Additive Manufacturing.
Former projects undertaken by the company to demonstrate its capabilities include its WAAM steel bridge in central Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the WAAM frame of the Cucuyo café, installed at the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Florida, USA.
