It is understood that the Silicon Valley startup company Arevo Inc, supported by the CIA's venture capital department, claims that they have produced the world's first mid-to-high-end racing bicycle, a carbon fiber bicycle with a 3D printed frame.
Carbon fiber is an emerging reinforcement material with high strength, plasticity and corrosion resistance. It is used in civil, military, construction, aerospace and super sports cars.
Conventional carbon fiber bicycles are expensive because they are artificially wrapped with a single layer of carbon fiber wrapped around a frame mold. The frame is then baked in an oven where the melted resin bonds the carbon fiber sheets together.
Arevo's technology combines 3D printing with networking software, custom materials, and prints the three-dimensional shape of the bicycle frame by using a "deposition head" mounted on the robot arm. The "deposition head" is formed by extruding a bundle of carbon fibers while melting the thermoplastic material, combining them in one step. And the production cost of the entire bicycle frame is only $300!
Arevo raised $12.5 million in Series B financing from companies such as Asahi Glass and Sumitomo. Previously, the company raised $7 million from Khosla Ventures, and some of the CIA-backed venture capital fund In-Q-Tel helped the company move toward commercialization.
