Concept Sketch

Vehicle Geometry

SolidWorks CAD rendering of the vehicle concept. The CAD geometry will be used to create the cavities in the injection mold plate inserts. Wheels and a color scheme have been added for show.

3D Prototype

3D Printed Part created on a Stratasys Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) machine. The prototype is printed directly from the CAD model file much like a page is printed from a document. In this case the FDM is printed in three dimensions, in very thin layers from the bottom up. The prototype can be used to assess the size and design features of the vehicle as well as to test out some paint schemes. One could even attach wheels to get an idea of the overall look and speed of the vehicle.

Aluminum Mold

The finished mold plates have been machined on the HAAS NC milling machine and are ready to be mounted in the injection molding machine. Note the small holes in the mold cavity. The holes will be fitted with ejector pins used to eject the cooled part from the cavity at the end of the molding process.

Molded Vehicle

The image shows the "as-molded" vehicle as it was ejected from the mold following the injection molding process. Note that the vehicle is still attached to the runner system and is the color of the plastic used to mold it. Once removed from the runners, the vehicle is ready for assembly and paint.

Race Vehicle

Finally, the car has been painted and the wheels have been attached. Weight may be added to the actual race vehicle to bring it up to the maximum weight limit of 40 grams. After that, the vehicle is ready for some trial runs on the practice track.