Massivit 3D Printing Technologies, the leading provider of large format 3D printing solutions, in partnership with Marie 3D—large format 3D printing specialists—and renowned car designer, Takumi Yamamoto, will unveil the world’s first 3D-printed, full-scale concept car. The tribute to David Bowie will be a star attraction at this year’s prestigious Festival Automobile International (FAI) taking place in Paris from January 31 to February 3.
FAI President Rémi Depoix, said, “It is the first time in our thirty-four-year history that we are exhibiting a full-scale car that has been entirely produced with 3D printing. Yamamoto’s concept car demonstrates immense creativity. We were keen to support this project and present the car almost as a piece of art, very much like a sculpture. I am very impressed with this new technology. It opens up new opportunities in terms of creativity and design for the automotive industry.”
Takumi Yamamoto, designer of the esteemed GT by Citroen and a former leading designer at the PSA Peugeot Advanced Design Studio, is the creative force behind this concept car, which is a consummation of his life-long passions for car design and David Bowie.
Paris-based Marie 3D identified that 3D printing was the only feasible production method for implementing the concept car due to its capability to produce complex and creative geometry forms. Traditional manufacturing methods, including CNC routing, would have proven limited in terms of realizing Takumi Yamamoto’s vision. Furthermore, 3D printing turned out to be more cost-effective, having a faster production speed and less waste production.
The David Bowie tribute car has been 3D-printed on Marie 3D’s Massivit 1800 large format 3D printer. The company has an established standing in the automobile industry and this innovative project, leveraging Managing Director Philippe Marie’s expertise in prototyping as well as his timely adoption of a Massivit 3D printer, has paved the way for an entirely new approach to producing concept prototypes.
This new concept prototype production method has provided the perfect expression of Yamamoto’s imaginative and emotive dream to build a David Bowie-inspired concept car that embodies Bowie’s key personal and physical traits. The design incorporates a core body that represents and ‘protects’ the inner Bowie while the intricate, outer body is designed with different looks from various perspectives in homage to the singer’s chameleon-like personality. Crystals were chosen to reflect the purity of Bowie’s lyrical and musical message.
Marie 3D’s Managing Director, Philippe Marie, said, “This was an exciting challenge combining a work of art with a prototype. We especially enjoyed the fact that this is the first project that has allowed us complete creative control, independent of serving a car manufacturer. We have made the most of this total creative freedom. We embarked on the project to demonstrate the capabilities of our Massivit 3D printer in terms of size, speed and reliability. This technology provides a faster and significantly more cost-effective alternative to the conventional processes, supports design creativity, geometric freedom and smoother production.
“This concept car exposes a completely new method and capabilities for prototyping through 3D printing. Our goal now is to expose the possibilities to the automotive world.”
Amir Veresh, VP Business Development and Marketing at Massivit 3D, confirmed, “This David Bowie tribute car project highlights how Massivit 3D’s large format 3D printing technology facilitates fresh opportunities for scale 1:1 concept prototyping and is sure to fuel the imagination of tomorrow’s car designers and manufacturers. We are absolutely thrilled to partner in this inspirational project.”
Other important players in the project include Cyrille Ancely and Alexandre Larnac.
Industrial designer, Cyrille Ancelly, worked on bringing Yamamoto’s dream to life by developing the design and transforming the concept into a 3D model. CG artist, Alexandre Larnac, turned the concept car’s screen-based 3D model into realistic renderings and animations giving the impression that the car was actually driving on the road whilst keeping the artistic inspiration of David Bowie’s spirit.
Find out all about the project on the Massivit 3D YouTube Channel.
About Massivit 3D
Massivit 3D Printing Technologies Ltd. (www.massivit3d.com) is a leading provider of large format 3D printing solutions. The company’s technology enables the creation of super-size models and displays for a growing range of sectors including design engineering, visual communication, exhibitions, entertainment, and interior design. Massivit 3D’s proprietary Gel Dispensing Printing (GDP) technology leverages the company’s unique, instantly-curing printing gel, Dimengel, to quickly and cost-effectively produce lightweight, hollow 3D printed models up to six feet high. Founded in 2013 by a team of digital printing pioneers, Massivit 3D is headquartered in Lod, Israel, and serves customers worldwide with end-to-end services and through a well-distributed network of global resellers.
About Marie 3D
Marie 3D, a sister company of Marie Freres, provides specialized large format 3D printing services and dedicated customer support. The company was born out of a mission to expand further the cutting-edge services offered by Marie Freres, an established provider of prototyping, manufacturing and 3D design for the aeronautics, car and design industries. With fift years of expertise, Marie Freres prides itself on leveraging the most cutting-edge manufacturing technology and services.
About Takumi Yamamoto
Born in Tokyo, Takumi Yamamoto founded “Takumi Yamamoto” in 2017, specializing in the design of one-off concept hyper cars, robots, furniture and industrial products. Prior to this, Yamamoto worked as a car designer for French manufacturer PSA Peugeot Citroen for eleven years. In 2012, he joined Polyphony Digital, creator of Playstation’s iconic Gran Turismo games, as Design Director for its European studio.
