A 3D printed motorcycle resembling the transport of the caped crusader has been created by German engineers.
German firm BigRep claim the NERA is the first of its kind to be made anywhere in the world.
Every part of the bike, except for the electrics, was created via 3D printing.
This includes the tyres, rims, frame, fork (which connects the front wheel and axle to the frame) and seat.
'In essence what we're doing is we're giving designers and engineers the opportunity to swipe away the limitations that they have been used to from classical manufacturing methods, like grinding, moulding those things,' BigRep CEO Stephan Beyer told The Guardian.
Designer Marco Mattia Cristofori has ridden the bike but it is too slow to be commercially viable.
It was built from concept in just 12 weeks by the company but it is not expected to go into production.
The designers built the bike to prove their ability and competence at using different materials for a wide range of purposes.
'Nera illustrates the massive benefits that 3D-printing offers for the production of end-use parts, particularly for batch sizes between lot size one [small quantities manufactured in a single production run] to small series, by reducing lead times and costs, optimising supply chains and limiting dependency on supplier networks,' said NOWlab co-founder Daniel Büning, according to Dezeen.
3D printing technology – also called additive manufacturing – is the process of making an object by depositing material, one layer at a time.
It was first invented in the 1980s by Chuck Hull, an engineer and physicist.
It has been used to create a variety of shapes, structures and vehicles from a wide range of materials.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
