By Justin Jalil , Times of Israel
The collaboration will be displayed during the main event of EcoMotion, a gathering of Smart Transportation innovators that will take place at the Peres Center for Peace in Tel Aviv. Parts of the printed car will be introduced for the first time in Israel.
Autodesk developed “Spark,” a complete, open and free platform for 3D printing that will connect digital information to 3D printers in a new way. It provided Massivit with support on the software aspect in order to print the 3D model of the Strati.
Autodesk believes the 3D Printing revolution will transform industries, drastically reducing waste and the cost of assembly.
Eitan Tsarfati, the head of Autodesk’s 3D printing platform, told Israel’s Channel 10 that the Spark platform will provide the building blocks for innovation that product designers, hardware manufacturers, software developers and materials companies can use to push the boundaries of 3D printing technology. “3D Printing of an entire car consists of multiple materials, like the one developed by Local Motors,” Tsarfati told Channel 10 TV on Thursday.
Autodesk and Local Motors announced their collaboration last year.
The would-be Israeli role in a revolution in automobile production comes some 40 years after the demise of Israel’s national car company, Autocars Co. The firm, which produced boxy, fiberglass vehicles, was founded in the 1950s and relied heavily on lucrative government contracts.
The Israeli automotive industry has produced off-road sports vehicles like the Tonka and Zibar.
Said Lior Zeno, community manager of EcoMotion: “Local Motors and the printed car is only one example of the opportunities that will be available in the near future. The collaboration between Local Motors and Autodesk shows the huge possibilities for the smart transportation community in Israel. We invite all of those who work for this vision or believe in it to participate in the EcoMotion event.”