The first 3D printed car may come not with the bang of a giant 3D printer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, but the whir of two tiny RepRaps. Weighing 70 pounds and made over the course of 5 months with two MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printers, Michael Curry’s giant 3D printed RC car will be on display at this weekend’s Bay Area Maker Faire.
Curry is a member of Kansas City’s Hammerspace and has spent the past 5 months designing, printing, and building his ride-able RC vehicle. The car uses four-wheel drive and is made almost entirely out of 3D printed PLA, except for the motors, electronics, and latex tubing used for the shocks. Curry printed the parts, except for the blue pins holding some of the thing together, using 2 shells, a .2mm layer height, and 10% infill. He found that the vehicle could hold up to 70 pounds of weight. May not be the first 3D printed car for adults, but the first 3D printed Power Wheels for kids.
We’ve embedded a series of videos below at various stages of the building process (courtesy of Make):
Makes you want to get to the Maker Faire this weekend, huh? Probably makes you want to join a good Makerspace, too!
Source: Make
