THEFALCON 3D
SCALMALLOY® 3D printed track bike
Romolo Stanco Chief Technical Officer and founder of BIANCA ADVANCED INOVATIONS is one of the top representatives of this world (he and his business partner Erica Marson are the authors of the motto: one cyclist, one bike).
He was one of the first ones to use 3D printing on bikes. In his Bianca Laboratories (and the brand TOOT RACING) he experiments on design, engineering, additive manufacturing, custom handmade production and then feeds the outcomes to his T°Red bikes brand that articulates the findings in reproducible and customizable bikes.
He has been experimenting heavily on metals, questioning mainstream trends. He has developed a proprietary software to mold the design of the bike on the human body.
“bikes are a juicy feat for anyone who likes to complex challenges”.
“Bikes are interesting for designers because they are simple, essential, straight-forward. So they are very hard to improve. In comparison to most objects that we design, a bike makes no sense without the person who rides it: it’s like an extension of our body.
For instance: when a rider moves forward, most of the impact on the aerodynamic economy (almost 90%) is given by the body’s position rather than the bike.
Obree, 30 years ago, broke the Hour World Record not only due to the bike he used but mainly because it was made to allow him to crouch on it in a particular position. So while he produced less watts than other competitors, thanks to aerodynamics he was actually going faster.
The challenge, when it comes to a bike, is all about designing it around the athlete who will use it: around his or her way of sitting on it, moving, reacting to speed and fatigue. It’s a very complex co-design project”.
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“I don’t have anything against carbon but I consider materials a variable not a determining element in a project”
“Our design approach is certainly parametric (and it’s been so for years) but now also adaptive and generative.
These are words that require some explaining:
- Adaptive design supports the integration man/machine in dynamic situations
- Generative design allows for the creation of parts and components that must mutually adapt to each other in the search for the perfect combination to achieve the desired objective (in terms of weight, structural loads, mechanical resistance and sustainable use of materials)
Our focus is on relentless experimentation.
When we work with additive manufacturing, we use cutting edge materials (such as AP WORKS Scalmalloy®, Titanium 6/4, Inconel® or 316L stainless steel working with a variety of international partners.
This technology is fascinating because it allows us to lay the resistance material – by addition – following load charges through movement”.
“After some tests during 2021, the Argentine national team used the first prototype of THEFALCON SCALMALOY® at the Track World Championships in 2021. After some modifications, the bike immediately proved to be a winner at world class level”
In an ideal world, a material should be selected according to its ability to suit the cyclist’s needs, not the requirements for mass production.
Metals are great for custom bikes because they are isotropic. This means that they maintain the same mechanical characteristics at every point. So they are naturally reliable, stable, easy to design.
Furthermore, working with titanium or alloys such as Scalmalloy® or Inconel® through 3D printing allows us to combine performance and customization possibilities.
We can create a customized component, and modify its mechanical characteristics, thicknesses in different areas, dimensions, and the control of deformations according to use and loads.
“After some tests during 2021, the Argentine national team used the first prototype of THEFALCON SCALMALOY® at the Track World Championships in 2021. After some modifications, the bike immediately proved to be a winner at world class level”
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“For us, the goal was to create a performing and winning bike with total control over customization. I think the result is a huge success since several athletes have won with that bike and each of them was different from the other. Furthermore the goal was to create an “affordable” frame even at the target price level to make it attractive also to athletes and national federations with reduced budgets.Making a 60K euro frame was not in our plans and we succeeded by crossing technologies of avant-garde such as metal additive manufacturing together with AP WORKS with Scalmalloy®, the technical development of TOOT RACING and the all-Italian craftmanship of T°RED BIKES“