AREVO is a Silicon Valley company dedicated to direct digital additive manufacturing of composite materials.On April 12, 2019, the company partnered with California boutique bicycle manufacturer Franco Bicycles to provide a 3D printed carbon fiber frame for new electric bicycles.
The one-piece all-in-one frame has been integrated into the Emery ONE eBike and is currently on display at the Sea Otter Classic cycling race in Monterey, California.
"The transformation of the global composite bicycle industry has begun," said Hemant Bheda, co-founder of AREVO.
The new Emery ONE eBike features a durable 3D printed unibody bike frame. Image from AREVO.
AREVO uses patented software algorithms for generative design technology and a multi-axis robotic additive manufacturing platform for building bicycle frames using direct energy deposition (DED). The company calls this process "True 3D printing." According to AREVO, "True 3D printing" is optimized for anisotropic composites.
In contrast to other composite bicycle frames, carbon fiber frames are manufactured as a single component. With the help of industrial designer Bill Stephens of Colorado design company StudioWest, production of the Emery ONE bicycle frame was completed in a few days instead of the previous 18 months. Using this process results in a significant reduction in product development costs.
The new Emery ONE eBike features a durable 3D printed unibody bike frame. Image from AREVO.
"We chose AREVO technology because its iterative and flexible design represents a new era in composite manufacturing, and we want to be the first bicycle company to help lead this revolution," said Hector Rodriguez, co-founder of Emery Bikes.
"AREVO's continuous carbon fiber technology has played an important role in achieving the driving quality and high performance requirements we achieved with Emery ONE."
The Emery One frame is currently in production at AREVO's new multifunctional facility in Milpitas.