Today, they announced a new partnership with Italian automobile brand Nuova Società Piemontese Automobili (SPA). This means that the Nuova SPA electric bicycle Bicicletto is getting a 3D printed upgrade!
The Bicicletto is a fully electric vehicle that blends the attitude of the motorbike with the spirit of the bicycle. The upgrade, which is the first offering from Nuova SPA’s new partnership with Materialise, will blend the lines of high-tech engineering and classic design even more, as the additive manufactured end-use parts will make the Bicicletto lighter, faster, and more cost-efficient to produce. The automotive industry jumped on the additive manufacturing boat quickly and never wavered, becoming a major player in the technology’s growth. However, as the Bicicletto is an e-bike and not a car, it is somewhat of a standout in the industry.Torino-based brand Nuova SPA, whose parent company of Fiat may ring a bell, dates back to the early 1900s. They specialize in all sorts of automobiles, from luxury and sports cars, to military and industrial vehicles as well. They were reborn in 2014, and are now working with cutting-edge technologies and materials and applying them to vehicle propulsion, while also designing their e-bikes and other electric vehicles with a vintage-inspired style. You can definitely see this in the Bicicletto, a sleek offering that calls to mind classic motorbikes.“For Additive Manufacturing to bring end-use parts to a premium e-bike like this, it takes more than just 3D printing facilities. It takes dedicated post-production, rigorous quality control, and in-house engineering expertise. With this collaboration, we look forward to broadening the horizons of the automotive industry through Additive Manufacturing,” explained Alessio Esposti, Account Manager, Materialise Italy.
“3D Printing was a major contributor to our R&D process, it has made production easier, and it’s also helping us bring down costs,” says Julianto Imprescia, CEO, Nuova SPA. “Bringing Additive Manufacturing to an already-running design, like the Bicicletto, can be challenging but dedicated collaboration helped us achieve it. Working with Materialise has been a gift, particularly with respect to having Materialise’s decades of additive manufacturing expertise at our disposal.”