自行车是最早使用3D打印的消费产品之一，概念模型，一次性生产和实际生产的数十个示例已经在进行中。原因之一是个性化和重量优化在骑自行车中起着重要作用。另一个（相关）是自行车的两种关键材料是碳纤维复合材料和钛，它们也是3D打印中的关键材料。对于英国萨默塞特郡的Sturdy Cycles的Tom Sturdy来说，钛是它，他转向AM服务RAM3D进行3D打印。

Bicycles were one of the first consumer products to embrace 3D printing, with dozens of examples of both concept models, one-offs and actual production already underway. One reason is that personalization and weight-optimization play a big role in bicycling; another (related) is that two key materials for bicycles are carbon fiber composites and titanium, which are also key materials in 3D printing. For Tom Sturdy of Sturdy Cycles in Somerset, UK, titanium is it and he turned to AM service RAM3D to 3D print it.

考虑到RAM3D在新西兰，这并不是3D打印用于分布式本地制造的情况。另一方面，RAM3D在金属3D打印自行车零件方面拥有丰富的特定经验，并且已经与定制自行车公司合作了6年以上。

Considering that RAM3D is in New Zealand, this is not exactly a case of 3D printing for distributed local manufacturing. On the other hand RAM3D has extensive specific experience in metal 3D printing bicycle parts and has been working with bespoke bicycle companies for over 6 years.

坚固的自行车对于汤姆·斯特迪（Tom Sturdy），钛是自行车骑行的理想之选，当然，重量轻是所有工程金属中强度和重量比最高的方面之一。定制过程始于合适的数据，该数据作为服务作为构建的一部分提供。

Sturdy CyclesFor Tom Sturdy, titanium is ideal for how the bikes ride and of course for the lightness aspect that boasts one of the highest strength to weight ratios of all engineering metals. The customization process starts with good fit data, which is offered as a service as part of the build.

他解释说：“作为一个人，您可以涵盖整个生命周期的产品并不多。” “即使增加了金属3D打印，它仍然是一项技术性和挑战性的工作。”

“There aren’t many products that you, as one person, can cover the whole life cycle of,” he explains. “Even with the addition of metal 3D printing, it is still quite technical and challenging.”

此数据用作开发自行车几何和结构设计的起点。增材制造对于每个构建都是必不可少的。作为设计的一部分，汤姆创建了一组针对目标车手进行了独特优化的管接头。

This data is used as the starting point to develop both the geometry and structural design of the bike. Additive manufacturing is integral to each build. As part of the design, Tom creates a set of tube junctions that are uniquely optimized for the intended rider.

这种尖端技术的使用为更复杂的设计集成创造了机会，并允许以其他任何方式无法制造的结构。它为骑手提供了一种独特的产品，该产品可以比传统车架更精致，更轻。它还在制造过程中提供了显着的优势，因为每个零件的设计都考虑到了制造，这有助于提高构建的准确性和可靠性。

The use of this cutting edge technology creates the opportunity for more sophisticated design integration and allows structures that could not be manufactured in any other way. It offers the rider a unique product that can be refined and made lighter than a conventional frame. It also offers significant advantages during the manufacturing process as each part is designed with fabrication in mind, this helps improve the accuracy and reliability of the build.

Sturdy在他的框架建筑中使用增材制造，并认为这种尖端技术使他能够创建无法以其他方式制造的设计和结构。正如他所解释的那样，“纯钛元素存在，它不需要上漆或完成，对于很多人来说，这是一个很大的吸引力”。

Sturdy embraces the use of additive manufacturing in his frame building and feels this cutting-edge technology allows him to create designs and structures that couldn’t be manufactured any other way. As he explains, “there is the purist element with titanium, it doesn’t need to be painted or finished and for a lot of people, that is quite a big appeal”.

Sturdy曾经在英国和欧洲的铁人三项赛中担任职业运动员的比赛，甚至还参加过澳大利亚的比赛。他在学习期间就做到了这一点，并且具有航空工程和运动生物力学的背景。就在他学习运动生物力学的时候，他开始对自行车感兴趣，并开始在比赛中更认真地考虑自行车的设计。

Sturdy used to compete as a professional athlete in Triathlons in the UK and Europe and even competed as far afield as Australia. He did this whilst studying and has a background in Aeronautical Engineering and Sports Biomechanics. It was while he was studying Sport Biomechanics, he started to get interested in bikes and started to think more seriously about bike design whilst competing.

在他的一次培训中，他被摔倒了，这使他退出了比赛大约3年。之后，他意识到自己再也不会恢复正常比赛了，因此决定专注于设计优化，在这种情况下，设计性能可以显着提高特定骑手的水平。他的兴趣始终涉及工程和生物力学。

During one of his training sessions, he got run over and that put him out of racing for about 3 years. After that, he realized he would never get back to racing properly again and decided to focus on design optimization, where the performance of a design can be made dramatically better for a particular rider. His interest has always involved engineering and biomechanics.

由于他在自行车商店和研发部门拥有广泛的专业知识，因此参与框架构建工作自然而然。骑自行车时，他觉得自己从头到尾都在控制整个过程。从创建设计，工程和制造它们。

With his broad range of expertise working in bike shops and R&D, it was a natural progression to get involved in frame-building. With bikes, he feels he is in control of the whole process from start to finish; from creating the design, engineering, and fabricating them.

RAM3D一直是他的3个型号Road Road，All Road和XC Race的3D打印零件，并且让Sturdy参与了打印过程，建议任何新设计为他量身定制的自行车带来最佳效果。公路自行车是最受欢迎的，因为该市场更了解定制自行车的概念。

RAM3D have been 3D printing parts for his 3 models, the Road Race, All Road and XC Race, and involve Sturdy in the print process, advising on any new designs to get the best outcome for his bespoke bikes. The road bikes are the most popular because that market is more aware of the concepts of a custom bike.

Sturdy自行车家族的下一个成员是将于2021年推出的TT专业自行车。TimesTrial骑行在英国和一个非常专业的市场中很受欢迎，由于他热爱铁人三项，因此他热衷于追求。

The next addition to the Sturdy bike family is a TT specialist bike that will be launching in 2021. Times Trial riding is popular in the UK and a very specialized market and he is keen to pursue it because of his love of the Triathlon.

随着全球电动自行车的爆炸式增长，汤姆（Tom）并不排除设计和制造电动自行车的可能性，并且相信这只是时间问题。尽管他看不到它是他业务的支柱，但他可以看到在某个时候有电动自行车模型。他认为，由于必须集成其中的所有内容，因此它会稍微复杂一些。

With the explosion of E-Bikes worldwide, Tom doesn’t rule out designing and building one and believes it’s only a matter of time before that happens. Although he can’t see it being the mainstay of his business, he can see there being an E-bike model at some point. He feels it would be a bit more complicated because of having to integrate everything in it.

学习周期的未来如何？汤姆（Tom）将继续发挥自己的作用，使用增材制造技术来制造他的简单而精致的自行车。现在，他在设计和制造方面已使事情变得高效，并且具有制造更多自行车的能力，并将继续推出新自行车并更新其当前型号。汤姆已经开始添加新的产品，例如曲柄和叉子，而不仅仅是车架。

What does the future hold for Study Cycles? Tom will continue to play a hands-on part building his wonderfully simple yet highly refined bicycles using additive manufacturing. He has got things efficient now in terms of the design and manufacturing and has a lot of capacity to build more bikes and will continue to introduce new bikes and update his current models. Tom has started to add new products like cranks and forks other than just the frame.

文章来源：3dprintingmedia