LM: Engineering Blog – CAD Update

LM is a fascinating company.  They’re a spin-off of MIT that is working to make vehicle production a local, customized affair.  They’re combining advanced engineering capability (especially 3D scanning!) with web 2.0 community capabilities to let people directly affect the design of new cars, region by region. From LM’s website:

Local Motors will design, manufacture, and bring to market innovative, safer, more functional, lightweight, efficient cars through a revolutionary, local assembly and retail experience. These cars will revolutionize not only automobiles, but also the very structure of auto-making, auto-selling, and auto-servicing.

• In auto-making, Local Motors will build low inventory, high cash conversion, low capital intensity assembly facilities distributed across the United States, which will bring satisfying and meaningful manufacturing employment in a pleasurable life-work experience.
• In auto-selling, Local Motors will create an aspirational experience of scarcity driven demand whereby the local factory will create a Wonka-like fascination with its products and methods. Not only will it sell its cars, but it will sell the experience of people being able to visit and watch their car being “born”.
• In auto-servicing, Local Motors will pledge a customer experience of loyal, uncompromising, personal service deserving of the largest purchase that many people ever make – their car.

LM bought a Z Scanner and another 3D scanning software first, but then found XOR and find it a much better solution for reverse engineering the various automotive parts they need to get into CAD.