Airbus Will Start Making 3D-Printed Drones And Self-Driving Cars

Saanvi Araav - Oct 15, 2019

Airbus has signed a new deal to manufacture drones and self-driving cars with Local Motors Industries, a 3D-printing start-up in San Francisco.

Airbus just signed a deal with 3D-printing startup Local Motors Industries from San Francisco to make self-driving cars and drones. Two companies are working together to launch the joint-venture Neorizon project, which focuses on autonomy and mobility solutions.

Local Motors Industries' founder and CEO, Jay Rogers, has delivered a statement on this partnership. He said that every state and local government would have to deal with the difficult challenges of inefficient and pollutive transport, congestion, and rapid urbanization, plus the ever-evolving tech.

He also added that the current mass manufacturing and transportation infrastructure are way too capital intense and inflexible to serve the ever-changing consumer demands and technology trends.

File 20190313 123534 Nt9r5m — The operations of this project will be based at the Ludwig-Bölkow Airbus Campus, not far from Munich.

The aim of the project Neorizon is to put to work a type of micro-factory in which they make new products for transportation more efficiently and rapidly. The operations of this project will be based at the Ludwig-Bölkow Airbus Campus, not far from Munich in cooperation with the Innovation Campus.

Airbus Defence & Space's Digital Transformation Officer, Peter Weckesser has commented on the matter. He said that since 2016, they have been working with the team of LM industries. Both firms began this cooperation because they have realized the extraordinary value of open-source design and digital manufacturing as well as recognizing the business opportunities for expertise and resources pooling.

It is of great importance to combine the materials expertise, additive manufacturing, production, and prototyping capabilities of Airbus with the digital manufacturing of LM Industries.

In general, Neorizon aims to use 3D-printing solutions to make self-driving vehicles and drones. Airbus Defence's chief executive, Dirk Hoke, said that this new project is all about innovation, plus the company is always open to cooperate more with other partners.

Back in 2016, LM industries have made the 3D-printed Olli. It was a self-driving vehicle that needs 90% fewer parts than conventional cars and made of 100% recyclable materials.