The Best Car Under The Sun?

BURLINGTON, Mass., USA, June. 2009: To the untrained-eye, Infinium appears to be nothing more than a solar panel on wheels. But, to those in the know, it’s the University of Michigan’s ultra-sleek contender for the forth-coming World Solar Challenge. For the team that designed and built it, Infinium is also and a product of advanced 3D printing and 3D scanning from Z Corporation.

Michigan’s solar car designers used a ZScanner® 700 to inspect prototypes against digital designs to ensure accuracy for wind tunnel testing. The scanner was also employed to capture the engineering data from previous solar car prototypes, built throughout the team’s 20-year history.
 
The Michigan team used a ZPrinter® multicolour 3D printer to create prototypes of parts like Infinium’s ergonomic steering wheel and also its motor housing. The prototypes help the team to conduct form, fit and functional testing before production. The team also “ZPrinted” moulds for lightweight carbon-fibre parts and car models for display.