As previously stated, the Gen 1 tabular chassis is too heavy. There are some possible ways to work around, which will definitely worth considerations in future gens.
Using higher strength materials can provide the necessary strength while being lighter. This assumes that the current weight issue is a material problem – a careful balance between weight and strength to be achieved via material selection.
Using tubes with optimized cross-sectional shapes (like oval or elliptical) and wall thickness. Thin-wall tubes in non-critical areas can significantly reduce weight without sacrificing too much strength. This assumes that a better design can help in weight reduction without compromising strength. A related method is to add reinforcements only in areas subjected to the highest stresses (like joints or mounting points), rather than reinforcing the entire chassis uniformly. This can be done using additional material, or with inserts made from stronger, but heavier, materials.
Using a combination of materials (e.g., aluminum for the main structure, carbon fiber for higher-stress areas …etc) may work in theory. However, currently available 3d printers do not allow the use of mixed materials for printing, therefore the design must be re-done from scratch to separate the parts based on material selection.
Talking about optimizing the design, there is one possible way to reduce weight without introducing multiple different materials – to be precise it may be possible to combine multiple functions into single components. For instance, a single tube might serve as both a structural chassis element and also a conduit for electronics, wiring, and even gearbox gears. The problem is that a small damage in one functional area will require replacement of the whole component, which can be expensive and costly.
