The manufacturing startup Divergent 3D is looking to expand the use of 3D printing technology to reduce the cost of designing, producing, and fully assembling vehicles while going green at the same time.
Kevin Czinger, CEO and lead inventor at the company, declared that the use of printing will slash production expenses for major automotive companies and create more efficient vehicles.
"By doing what we're doing, we're massively lowering that cost of entry and giving people, say like AWS [Amazon Web Services] gives people access to tools and processing power and storage, we're doing the same thing with design tools and production and assembly capacity," he told Cheddar.
The technology is able to convert powdered metal into car frames, suspensions, and subframes by heating it to nearly the melting point, then shaping it with a low powered laser.
The company created the world's first 3D printed car, the Divergent Blade, back in 2015 and this year, the Czinger 21c made its debut. Beyond lowering costs, the draw for 3D printing automobiles, according to the CEO, is the ability to produce various types of structures simultaneously as well as having a lower carbon footprint.
"If you really look at the environment from a global scale, it's not about tailpipe exhaust, it's about the growing of the global population and it's becoming more and more developed so it's consuming more products," Czinger said.
When it comes to reducing emissions, the automotive industry has to find innovative ways to make designs more efficient so fewer resources are used up, he added.
"The single most important thing that can be done for the environment going forward is to dematerialize structures, make them more efficient, and close loop the materials so you're not constantly mining and processing new materials with all the destruction to the environment that entails," Czinger explained.
Divergent 3D is banking on expanding among respected manufacturers to bring the technology into full mainstream use.
"What I believe is when people see that three of the top five global automakers are adopting this technology and this production platform, that is going to be the beacon signal that this is a true validated technology and that will accelerate the adoption of that technology," Czinger said.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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