3D Printers

3D Printing, Make this Man's Lightweight Bike a Reality!

Matt Clark from San Marino, California has designed a plastic bicycle, called the Innerframe, to prove that bicycle production could be greatly improved and streamlined using specific materials and methods to improve quality and significantly lower costs.  Though it is not 3D printed, the Innerframe features an extremely rigid, lightweight construction that Matt believes would be highly conducive to 3D printing.

matt clark bike concept for 3D printing

Matt has been working on this design since 2008, and he’s starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. While the goal of Matt’s original prototype in 2008 was to produce a seamless, rigid design impossible to accomplish using traditional bike manufacturing methods, the recent development of 3D printing may change that. Matt imagines 3D printing the bike vertically, producing the interior as well as the surface exterior at the same time.

parts of matt clark bike concept for 3D printingDoing so, Matt believes would have several benefits of producing bicycles: increased accuracy, no paint required for the frames, and no welding or heat treatment.  And, due to the highly-optimized, semi-hollow structural geometry of the Innerframe, 3D printing the bike adds the benefit of reduced material usage, compared to a solid-form product like the 3D printed Strati car, for example.

The biking designer is currently optimizing the Innerframe for 3D printing in Solidworks, varying the thickness of the interior throughout, in order to custom tailor its strength and weight. To date, the closest method used within the bicycle industry is foam filling a carbon fiber frame, method/combination that isn’t optimal.

design of matt clark bike concept for 3D printingComposites have a relatively short history in bike design and manufacturers have yet to utilize a method to successfully mass-produce a rigid, plastic frame.  The option of 3D printing enables the Innerframe and the outer structure to be manufactured as a truly seamless unit for strength and mass production. It also enables the use of lower cost materials like plastics.  And, with 3D printing, Matt believes that it might be possible for bicyclists to produce their own Innerframe at local bike shops.

“At this point, due to high machine costs, 3D printing an adult-sized frame will only be accomplished by a devoted 3D printing manufacturer. However, as machine costs decrease, I believe consumers will eventually have the ability to purchase a licensed frame design at their local bike shop and have it printed on-site. That’s when the major shift will occur. Currently, most of the major bicycle brands (Giant, Specialized, Trek) manufacture overseas. This is because traditional, high-volume bike manufacture is a costly and highly time-consuming process that’s only facilitated by cheap, overseas labor.”

Below, you’ll see Matt’s latest rendering.  All it may need to obtain a presence in the physical world is a large-scale 3D printer. If the bike took off, it would dramatically alter the landscape of bicycle manufacturing. Manufacturing sans tools, welding, paint, heat treatments or shipping would probably appeal to a lot of bike lovers and makers, though I’m sure some would object.

Innerframe 3D printed bike concept

I definitely see the benefits of having a 3D printed bike.

Happy Riding!