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3D-printed bicycle tire

May 16, 2018.

3D-printed bicycle tire.

3D-printed bicycle tire. © BigRep.

BigRep is a German 3D printing company able to print objects of up to one meter per side on its proprietary large-scale 3D printer, BigRep One. Marco Mattia Cristofori, a designer at BigRep, has developed and printed a honeycomb bicycle tire with no inner tube, making flat tires a thing of the past. The tires are made out of PRO Flex, a flexible thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), also developed by BigRep. “The main goal of the design was to inspire and explore the endless possibilities of large scale 3D printing,” explained Maik Dobberack, Communications Director at BigRep. Unfortunately, the tires are just an “in-house industrial application design” and not intended for large-scale industrial production for the foreseeable future. This isn’t BigRep’s first foray in the cycling world: it has already printed a bicycle frame in collaboration with engineers from Aalborg University (Denmark).

CNET, “3D-printed airless bike tires deliver a ‘smooth ride’.”

BigRep, “World-first 3d printed airless bicycle tire.”