- Scooter with fairing parts in glass-filled polyamide 6 powder
- Cost-effective manufacturing in small to medium-sized volumes
- Weight & cost savings over competing aluminum
At the recent Challenge Bibendum 2014 event in Chengdu, China, Solvay presented “Bud-e”, a foldable electric scooter specially designed for mobility in urban areas and developed by French company Kleefer. The streamlined fairing parts of the scooter are made using the industry’s first glass-filled polyamide 6 powder for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) from Solvay’s Sinterline Technyl range of materials.
Cost-efficient manufacturing of parts in small to medium-sized volumes
The technology delivers fully functional parts while offering greater design freedom as well as significant weight and cost savings over competing aluminum. Prior to the SLS process, the parts were optimized with Solvay’s MMI Technyl Design for multi-scale modelling and structural analysis. According to Solvay, Sinterline powders are very suitable for validating 3D models and computer simulations, producing functional, dependable prototypes comparable to the required performance characteristics. The glass-filled powder grades allow the cost-efficient manufacturing of parts in small to medium-sized volumes.
Light-weight foldable “Bud-e” electric urban scooter from Kleefer made with fairing parts using glass-filled Sinterline Technyl powder from Solvay Engineering Plastics (source: Kleefer, France)
20 km driving range, 25 km/h top speed & recharged in 2 h
Kleefer, based in Lyon, France, develops light electric vehicles for the urban mobility market and has been partnering with Solvay since its foundation two years ago. The “Bud-e” scooter is equipped with a removable, plug-in lithium battery pack that can be fully recharged in just 2 hours and gives the ultra-compact scooter an electric driving range of 20 km at a speed of up to 25 km/h. Together with a front hub motor, puncture-proof pneumatic tyres and a reliable brake system it folds/unfolds in just 1 second and is the first of Kleefer’s “personal transporters” expected to feature Solvay’s PA materials. The electric scooter will be commercially available in 2015.
