Imagine a world where you can design a new vehicle online—and then have it quickly produced at a local micro-factory via 3D printing. Sound like science fiction? Nope, the remarkable LM3D Swim electric vehicle, on display at the 2015 SEMA aftermarket auto show, proves that it’s a new reality.
Designed by Local Motors community member Kevin Lo, the LM3D Swim—looking something like a Myers Manx dune buggy run through a time machine—was the winning entry in Local Motors “Project Redacted” online challenge this summer. The LM3D Swim’s debut at 2015 SEMA follows Local Motors’s display at last year’s SEMA, when the company 3D-printed its Strati concept car live on the show floor.
Local Motors is a pioneer of Digital Direct Manufacturing (DDM), a new process that utilizes huge 3D printers to avoid the long production time, big expense, and other hassles usually involved in automotive manufacturing. With Local Motors DDM, the entire body and most of the structure of the car is produced via 3D printing. Structural elements are reinforced with composite materials and foams to provide rigidity and crashworthiness.
“In the past few months our engineers have moved from only a rendering to the car you see in front of you today,” said Jay Rogers, chief executive for Local Motors. “We are using the power of DDM to create new vehicles at a pace unparalleled in the auto industry. We’re thrilled to begin taking orders on 3D-printed cars next year.”
The company raids the parts bins for running gear and common components, as it has since introducing the Rally Fighter. (Local Motors sells the Rally Fighter for $100,000.) Our close inspection of the LM3D prototype at SEMA reveals clues to potential suppliers and last minute lighting choices in preparing the show car.
We expect the LM3D Swim to rapidly evolve, with future iterations to include components sourced from suppliers present at this year’s SEMA show. Specifications on the electric drive system were not released. Project partners include IBM, Siemens (modeling software) and SABIC (thermoplastics).
Pre-orders for the LM3D Swim are expected in spring 2016, as the company undertakes federal highway certification and crash testing. The first deliveries are scheduled for early 2017, with a target MSRP of $53,000. The LM3D Swim will be produced at Local Motors new microfactory in Knoxville, Tenn. The company currently has plants in Arizona and Las Vegas, where it produces the Rally Fighter.
The display of the LM3D Swim at SEMA this year reveals how Local Motors is making progress with its world-changing vision: to empower global communities of designers, engineers, fabricators, and automotive enthusiasts to produce cars and related components.
