Local Motors to Open New Microfactory

Watching an additive manufacturing (AM) system complete a print is not exciting. It seems to take forever to print the smallest objects, regardless of the fact that 3D printing is one of the fastest methods of manufacturing functional designs. That speed also allows AM to be used for customized print on-demand items, or home manufacturing to produce useful replacement parts.

For Local Motors, the speed offered by AM means it can produce a customized vehicle body in an astonishingly short amount of time. 3D printing is just one of the ways Local Motors is attempting to set itself apart from other car manufacturers. The name of the company isn’t just a clever marketing move. Wherever the company sets up shop, it works with the local community to design and build vehicles that fill empty niches.

The Rally Fighter was built to operate in the off-road deserts of the southwest US, yet still be legal to drive into town. Courtesy of Local Motors.

Local Motors production facilities have been dubbed ‘microfactories’ and are modest 40,000 sq. ft. buildings, capable of producing limited amounts of vehicles each year. Existing microfactories are up and running in Phoenix and Las Vegas (with a third under construction in Washington, DC). Both existing microfactories are capable of producing Local Motors’ Rally Fighter; an off-road capable vehicle that retains its street legal status.

The next microfactory will open at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, MD. The Local Motors facility will include an AM factory, laboratory and showcase. The company expects the new microfactory to draw curious visitors, and rumors indicate that cars may not be the only 3D printed items for sale in the showroom.

If Local Motors is to hold to its creed, it (or its legion of online developers) will have to figure out a new type of vehicle that fits into the National Harbor area. Maybe the company will look in a new direction and try for the first 3D printed watercraft. Regardless of what happens, Local Motors is at the forefront of a new type of manufacturing and distribution system that is only be possible thanks to 3D printing.

Below you’ll find a video about Local Motors and its microfactories.

Sources: Local Motors, Washington Post