The Director of Product Management at 3D Systems, Derek Johnson, knew that the company needed to demonstrate what its new, multi-material ProJet 5500X 3D printer could do at Euromold when it launched. And, in true 3DS fashion, he found a novel way to do it. Teaming up with the company’s Senior Sales Manager for Geomagic Solutions, Nick Chwalek, and Product Manager for ColorJet Printing, Ryan Schneider, he was able to 3D print a fully-coloured, multi-material, remote-controlled truck.
Inspired by Nick’s passion for RC cars, the team began by dismantling a remote controlled truck and scanned its parts using the company’s new GeoMagic Capture. The tire and wheel assembly provided the perfect testing grounds for the ProJet 5500X’s multi-material printing process, while the body would be a great way to utilize the ProJet 660Pro full-color printer.
Derek and Nick worked to make the multi-material tires, taking data scanned from the original RC wheels with Geomagic Design Direct, “As I designed, I created thicker tire walls than I would have originally, based on the material properties, and shallower detail. Working in Geomagic Design Direct I was able to add the 3D Systems logo in 3D, and I added scaled lug nuts and bead lock hardware to the assembly data. These style details were less than 0.06” in size and yet printed in perfect detail. The wheels look awesome.”
Ryan, with his colour printing expertise, created a customized exterior for the truck, based off of the scan made with the GeoMagic Capture. Cutting it close, Ryan had to carry the 3D printed truck body to the Euromold show himself, where they were finally able to pair Ryan’s shell with Derek’s wheels and the motorized interior. Ryan explains how the project fell into place, “It all came together when I opened the box at Euromold. The tires looked great and the body was easily put on with Velcro. It was really cool to see a functional part made out of multiple technologies and materials come together like we had imagined and talked about. Seeing the idea on the screen is one thing, but seeing the truck in real life and have it work as we imagined were the best parts of the whole project.”
To accompany its instrumental ensemble and 3D printed sugar cubes, 3D Systems has its very own RC racer, which you can watch in action via the video below:
Source: 3D Systems
