Arizona company rolls toward future with 3-D printed cars

PHOENIX — The future of 3-D printed cars is just around the corner thanks to a Valley tech and automobile company.

Chandler-based Local Motors has released its design for the world’s first road-ready 3-D printed car. The company’s head of product development, Alex Fiechter, said the design and method of printing will revolutionize the car- manufacturing industry.

“Using processes that allow for new and creative part geometries to hopefully be able to lower the part count and simplify assemblies as well,” Fiechter said.

Essentially, the process will make it easier to create cars and parts in a more timely, cost-effective way.

While the company has created drivable 3-D printed cars in the past, Fiechter said the first highway car will be finished in about two years.

Until then the company plans to release several other models.

“While the full highway car certainly has a longer timeline, you’ll be able to start seeing direct digitally manufactured vehicles popping up and doing their thing in a number of different locations even ahead of that,” Fietcher said.