When we think about building a car, we automatically imagine massive facilities with long production lines and a complex ballet of robots performing precise movements, yet the essence of the process hasn't changed in a century. The idea of a more efficient, flexible, and dynamic construction is a huge challenge, but the people at Czinger Vehicles seem to have hit the mark with their Czinger 21C, a hypercar designed with artificial intelligence and built using 3D-printed aluminum and titanium parts.
A Brief History of 3D-Printed Cars
3D printing a car isn't exactly new. Some of our readers probably remember Strati, built from a total of 40 pieces, but a bit more recent is the project Blade, a prototype designed by Divergent Microfactories (later Divergent 3D) and its CEO, Kevin Czinger. The Blade used a combination of 3D-printed aluminum nodes and carbon fiber tubes for its connections, resulting in an extremely lightweight car with very efficient construction.
Czinger Vehicles and the Automated Factory
The good news is that Czinger never abandoned the Blade's concept. He founded Czinger Vehicles to deepen and optimize that construction method. Today's automakers are gigantic, demanding enormous floor space for their production lines. Czinger Vehicles' proposal is to combine a design based on artificial intelligence with the latest in 3D printing and apply an autonomous vertical assembly system that occupies just 15 by 15 meters. Best of all? They already built a car that way: the Czinger 21C.
The Czinger 21C in Numbers
2.88 liters, V8 twin-turbo, 1,250 hybrid horsepower with the help of two electric motors, 0 to 100 km/h in 1.9 seconds, and a theoretical top speed of 434.5 km/h in track trim. The Czinger 21C certainly has the power and looks to qualify as a hypercar. Its inline cabin is inspired both by Czinger's experience with motorcycles and the famous Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. The company suggests this configuration is optimal aerodynamically and “emotionally” for the driver.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/VgDu6RT-w7MHow AI and 3D Printing Work Together
But even more interesting is the combination of artificial intelligence and 3D printing. First, engineers specify key parameters such as connection points, tolerances, and mechanical properties, and the AI designs the part, optimizing material use. Its creations are very unusual for a car and look decidedly “organic”, but they don't sacrifice durability or strength at any point. Second, we have additive manufacturing of each component: 3D printing of metals like aluminum and titanium. Although I've personally seen people do some wonders with metal, from a practical standpoint only a computer and a 3D printer can make the parts the Czinger 21C requires.
The Automated Assembly Unit
Our final paragraph is dedicated to the “Automated Unit” that Czinger created for assembling the 21C. It's a series of robotic arms that occupy a 15 by 15 meter area, working in absolute synchronization. Some arms can lift and rotate the chassis while the rest install the parts. The complete assembly process takes around 3,000 hours, but the basic structure of the 21C is put together in less than an hour. Another advantage is that the automated units can be reprogrammed relatively easily, switching from one car model to the next without a hitch.
The Czinger 21C was officially presented in London at the start of March (COVID-19 forced a change to the original plans), and the company has confirmed total production of 80 units split into two versions: a street-legal one and a track-only model. Price? $1.7 million.
Official site: Click here
