Managing the Ride & Mastering Adventure
December 19, 2024
From consulting to scootering, Fernando blends passion with performance.
"It’s been five years since the last Holden was built in Australia, but while big-brand visibility might not be the same as it once was with the exit of GM, Ford and Toyota as local mass manufacturers, there’s a growing groundswell of local engineering, modifying, and manufacturing outfits which are leaning on new technologies to do things a little differently.
Markforged, for example, is a manufacturer of 3D printers with a relatively large presence in Australia. Their most basic model, costing around $30,000, surprisingly fits atop a standard office desk, and allows manufacturers to test, iterate, and make brand new parts which would have been impossible before.
The brand’s printers are used in multiple local automotive brands, particularly start-ups like Fonz Moto (a Sydney-based manufacturer of fully electric motorcycles), automotive restoration shops, and, increasingly, left- to right-hand-drive converters bringing popular models from the US.
FONZ said it uses its small printer to iterate different parts and test pieces on its motorcycles. As an example, the brand was able to add a European Type 2 AC charging socket to one of its models in just two weeks thanks to the ability of the 3D printer to allow them to make a precisely fit piece to add the socket. A process which would have otherwise taken months, according to the brand."
Read the full article on Carsguide