Type A Machines Unveils Their 3D Printed Hovercraft

We’ve seen 3D printed houses, 3D printed cars, 3D printed bicycles, and now there is a 3D printed hovercraft. Ok, before you get too exited, this hovercraft is only a miniature version, but it can be yours if you elect to attend the RAPID Manufacturing Conference on May 18-21, 2015.

Designed by Type A Machines, the hovercraft is actually a miniature model that functions much like its full-sized counterpart. The company decided to design and 3D print this incredible vehicle to show off its printers’ strengths and abilities. It was designed, prototyped, iterated upon, and ultimately 3D printed on a Type A Machines Series 1 3D printer, a 3D printer which is affordably priced at $2749.

“We’re showing the Series 1 can deliver parts less expensively, can get your product to market more quickly, and can eliminate the upfront investment traditional manufacturing requires,” explained Espen Sivertsen, Type A Machines’ CEO. “Additive Manufacturing is a rapidly growing portion of all manufacturing and Type A Machines is unique in its ability to offer what manufacturing businesses need. For projects with fewer than 1000 parts such as this hovercraft, and up to 10,000 parts in many cases, no system is faster, cheaper, or more capable, than the Type A Machines Series 1 3D Printer.”

The body of the hovercraft was 3D printed, with Type A Machines being sure to include electronic mount points so that the necessary electronics could be added on, with the help of Punch Through Design and Seeed Studios. Both of these companies have played a key role in making the hovercraft project possible.

For those interested in potentially owning one of these unique 3D printed custom hovercrafts, you can try your luck at the upcoming RAPID Conference in Long Beach, CA, where Type A Machines will be 3D printing and assembling them on-site. They will be giving away one every hour during the event, as well as another one each day as part of the Rippl3D Challenge.

The hovercraft pictured is not the final version that will make its debut at the RAPID event. This is just a prototype, but it still is incredibly cool. Driven by dual propellers, it has the ability to hover and move above most hard surfaces at a decent speed. Check out the video of the 3D printed hovercraft in action below. What do you think about the design? Will you be at the RAPID conference? Discuss in the 3D Printed Hovercraft forum thread on 3DPB.com.