A British bicycle manufacturer has launched aA new bike with a 3D printed titanium frame.
The Allroad Ti from Ribble Cycles is a hybrid cyclocross bike with a frame made from metal laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). This design has several advantages, the main one being that the frame tubes are more aerodynamic than those used on standard bikes.
to use3D printing also allows Ribble Cycles to control the thickness of these tubes, making them thinner or thicker for “optimal strength, rigidity and power transfer.” This also gives the frame a better strength-to-weight ratio than other, more common materials. Here, Ribble Cycles compares a titanium frame to a carbon fiber frame, albeit “stronger and more compliant.”
Weldless Allroad Ti frame from Ribble Cycles (Source: Ribble Cycles)
This technology also allowsA big contribution to the aesthetics of the Allroad Ti is that the weld lines are almost invisible. Combined with the bike’s ‘invisible cable routing’, you get a machine that is both traditional and forward-thinking, streamlined and futuristic, while remaining true to the core principles of Ribble Cycles – principles truly ingrained since the inception of the company in 1897.
Depending on the configuration,The Allroad Ti costs between $5,000 and $12,000. It can (and does seem) expensive, but it’s worth noting that the cycling media always emphasizes that this bike is relatively affordable.
Daguang focuses on providing solutions such as precision CNC machining services (3-axis, 4-axis, 5-axis machining), CNC milling, 3D printing and rapid prototyping services.
