3D printed bicycle: World's first printed titanium bike frame is light and strong

The two British firms behind the innovative framework claim they have created the first 3D printed metal bike frame, the Daily Mail reports.

Made of titanium alloy, the frame is fresh out of a 3D printer and has been designed to be as light and strong as possible - but the parts still need to be stuck together by hand.

The project is a collaboration between Renishaw – the UK’s only 3D printing manufacturer using metal parts - and bicycle design company Empire Cycles, in the north west of England.

Based on Empire’s MX-6 mountain bike, the frame is printed in titanium alloy and has a tensile strength of over 900MPa.

The new frame is hollow with internal strengthening features and is a third lighter than the original.

It was designed using ‘topological optimisation,’ which means using software to distribute material in the smartest way possible.

‘Material is removed from areas of low stress until a design optimised for load bearing is evolved,’ Renishaw said, so that unneeded material can be eliminated and the bike made lighter.

The frame, which when printed is joined to a metal plate, was broken up and bonded together.

The companies said this allows for flexible design improvements and the process means that a frame can be tailored to an individual’s exact needs.

The bike is not yet on sale and is currently being put through its paces by researchers at Swansea University, who are using strain gauges to measure its performance both in the lab and on mountains.

While in its infancy for metal bike frames, there could come a day when bicycle enthusiasts could easily print out their own frames and other parts to build a bespoke 3D printed bike.