May 17, 2018 | By Thomas
Arevo Inc, a Silicon Valley startup with backing from the venture capital arm of the Central Intelligence Agency has produced what it says is the world's first carbon fiber bicycle with 3D printed frame.
Image credit: REUTERS/ Stephen Lam
Traditional carbon fibre bikes are expensive because workers lay individual layers of carbon fibre impregnated with resin around a mold of the frame by hand. The frame then gets baked in an oven to melt the resin and bind the carbon fibre sheets together.
Arevo's technology combines 3D printing with web-based software and customized raw materials. It uses a "deposition head" mounted on a robotic arm to print out the three-dimensional shape of the bicycle frame. The head lays down strands of carbon fiber and melts a thermoplastic material to bind the strands, all in one step. The process allows Arevo to build bicycle frames for $US300 in costs.
Images credit: REUTERS/ Stephen Lam
Arevo on Thursday raised $12.5 million Series B financing round from a unit of Japan’s Asahi Glass Co Ltd, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas, Leslie Ventures and Khosla Ventures. Previously, the company raised $7 million from Khosla Ventures and an undisclosed sum from In-Q-Tel, the venture capital fund backed by the CIA. The new financing will help the company focus on the full-scale commercialization of its technology.
Arevo also announced the appointment of a new CEO, Jim Miller, a veteran executive who supervised logistical operations during high-growth periods at Amazon and Google. With its new capital, Miller hopes to commercialize their software and fabrication process to build high strength parts, especially aerospace parts. “We can print as big as you want - the fuselage of an aircraft, the wing of an aircraft,” Miller said.
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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What was the purpose? Build a bike with maximum drag coefficient?
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