Sprout 3D Printed Bicycle

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Bicycles made by traditional technology are often single in shape and lack of characteristics. After the introduction of 3D printing technology, the bicycle after topology optimization not only has a better lightweight design, but also gets rid of the high mold cost, and carries out an industrial mode of producing one piece for one design or even one piece for multiple designs.

Dimensions & Packaging

Length 1630mm, width600mm, height 832mm

Tags

Topological Optimization, 3D Printing, bicycle, conceptual design, vehicle design

Production Technology

The structure of the bicycle is optimized by means of topology optimization, and the design is carried out on the basis of the optimized model. Finally, the bicycle model is made of high density nylon material through 3D printing

Design Challenge

The most difficult part is the topology optimization of the bicycle, because it includes related mechanics such as statics. It's a whole new area for us, it's a whole new challenge.The second is to verify the feasibility of material technology, which takes a long time, the cost of changing material technology, the difficulty of production, and the acceptance of people in real life. These are the considerations for this design study.

Project Duration

The project started in March 2021 and ended in May 2021. Project duration: 2 months. Location: Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.

Operation Flow

By using a professional design system, the topology optimization of the bicycle frame is carried out, and then the optimization of the corresponding frame prototype is completed according to the corresponding optimization results, and the bicycle is produced by 3D printing. The bicycle frame after topology optimization not only reasonably plans the distribution of the material structure, reduces the amount of material, but also reduces the energy consumption rate and the emission of harmful substances in the exhaust. Secondly, the static stress analysis of the frame is carried out by applying the finite element method in topology optimization, so as to complete the design and stability verification of the frame structure more efficiently, shorten the product development cycle, and make new products more efficient in development.

Research

Research objectives: 1. How to optimize the structure of bicycle 2. Research methods of existing 3D printing materials and technologies and topology optimization methods: 1. Field investigation data analysis 2. Online data collection results: With the introduction of 3D printing technology, metal materials can be made into the form of car frames, just like sculptures, without the constraints of traditional processes. At the same time, 3D printing technology can get rid of the high cost of mold, and carry out the industrial model of one design producing one piece, or even multiple designs producing only one piece. Even the same design can be printed with different materials.

Inspiration

According to the investigation, in the long days of steel and aluminum tubes, the basic shape of the bicycle was a variety of subtle variations of the diamond frame under the linear structure. Bicycle product modeling language is relatively simple, in addition to the details of the process, the biggest surprise may be coating. From the point of view of design, it is hoped that through 3D printing design, people can obtain bicycles with better stability and more personality rather than the bicycles produced in industrial batches in the past. So that people's bikes get the best lightweight and reduce the loss of more resources.

Colors of Sprout 3D Printed Bicycle