The STL files have been released to the public

Sep 25, 2014 13:31 GMT  ·  By

3D printed cars are no longer a myth, in no small part thanks to Local Motors, a company that is already well on its way towards setting up 100 microfactories around the world, where they will make the Strati.

Strati is a car whose chassis is entirely 3D printed, along with the wheels and many of the related workings, minus the tech parts.

The company's CEO has now revealed something that should please everyone who owns or intends to own a 3D printer at some point in the future.

Specifically, the company has released STL files of the Strati. They won't let you actually make your own car, since you're not likely to ever be able to buy a 3D printer big enough, or one that can work with the required materials.

However, it should let you make miniature versions of the car easily enough. They will give your kids something to occupy themselves with, if nothing else.

The Strati 3D printed car

Seeing the automotive industry so openly adopting additive manufacturing was a huge sign that 3D printing technology had already come far.

It was also pretty awesome advertising for 3D printing in general, because many people hadn't even known about the term before that point.

Sure, many people still don't, but that's to be expected, since even now there are people who don't know what a computer is, as astonishing as it sounds.

It was two weeks ago that Local Motors CEO Jay Rogers said that the STL filed would be released, and now it has finally happened.

The STL files come at a scale of 1:10 and include all the parts needed to print the strati at home. Most of the chassis can be done in one go, but some other components have to be done separately. Otherwise you'll get one, single-piece immobile figurine. That means the wheels, suspensions components, the pedal box and the steering shaft.

It won't be the same as owning the car itself, but at least it won't take 44 hours to produce a print. Not that 44 hours is a long time, considering how many weeks it normally takes to assemble a new vehicle, even after the design stage is complete.

Local Motors' request

It's a simple one. The company just wants you to share a picture of the toy Strati if you do decide to print one at home. Now we just have to wait and see if anyone is brave and inventive enough to modify the designs and try to create the car in full scale.