Japan, a very mountainous and populous country, roads, homes, and cars are necessarily small to accommodate everything.
It’s therefore hardly surprising that the first 3D printed car developed in Japan would also be on the smaller size, though who would’ve expected this? Kabuku and Honda have teamed to 3D print a very small delivery vehicle for the confectionery specialists Toshimaya, optimally using what little space is available.
Of course, 3D printed cars have been topping every list of fantastic 3D printing breakthroughs for some time, with Arizona-based Local Motors and their world’s first road-ready 3D printed car leading the way.
Many other prominent car manufacturers are also using 3D printers in one way or another, especially as prototyping tools.
In that respect, it’s hardly surprising that Honda is looking at 3D printing as well.
In a nutshell, this 3D printing specialist provides an online marketplace that lets makers upload their 3D printable designs and sells them directly to consumers everywhere.
It’s also one of the most significant 3D printing hubs in Japan and East Asia, and therefore a perfect partner for such a project.
The two companies further revealed that Kabuku, understandably, designed and 3D printed the car’s body, with Honda presumably taking care of the mechanical dimension.
Unlike other 3D printed cars out there, this vehicle has been designed with a very specific purpose in mind: delivery.
It also needed to be a very attractive advertising opportunity, and a tiny 3D printed car will doubtlessly turn heads wherever it goes.
The 3D printed mini-car was cheaper to build than conventional alternatives and is perfectly suited for its delivery task.
Kabuku reportedly relied on Rinkak’s mass-customization solutions and rapid 3D design platform to build the vehicle in just two months, much quicker than completely new non-3D printed cars.
