Blade Runner

It can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 2,2 seconds – not bad for a car created by a 3D printer

- Lindsay De Freitas

WITH its sleek aero­ dynamic finish and futuristic proportions, the Blade looks like most other ex­pertly engineered super cars. And with an engine that can outrun classics such as Ferrari’s LaFerrari and McLaren’s P1, it even moves the way you’d expect a supercar to. But one important thing sets this fine piece of engineering apart from others of its kind – it’s method of manufacture.

Unlike other lightning­ fast speed ma­ chines, the Blade wasn’t assembled in souped­ up workshops – it was produced using a 3D printer.

As 3D­printing becomes cheaper and more accessible, more companies – such as Blade’s manufacturer, US­ based Diver­ gent 3D – use it. And although it’s not the world’s first 3D­printed car, Blade is by far the fastest and sexiest.

Using nearly 28 kg of aluminium pow­der, the San Francisco­ based manufac­turer used 3D­printed aluminium joints connected to carbon­fibre tubes to create the chassis of the car.