May 3, 2016 | By Alec

Every year, the small town of Bangalow in New South Wales, Australia, comes alive for a fantastic family event: the Bangalow Billy Cart Derby. Featuring participants of all ages, it’s a fun and fantastic racing event featuring a number of highly original vehicles. It’s almost like the classic cartoon Wacky Races, but features propulsion-free DIY billy carts. The 2016 edition, which will be held on May 15th, will excitingly feature a fantastic 3D printed cart, developed by Steve Rosewell.

The Bangalow Billy Cart Derby is known as a family-friendly event for all ages that attracts considerable media attention and even features some celebrity participants. It’s a place to see fun carts and original outfits on a relaxing afternoon. While participants have plenty of design freedom, the carts are limited by just a few rules. For starters, all will begin with a standing start and can feature no form of propulsion at all. That means no pushing or pedaling. Only a bit of rocking is allowed, but the rest of the movement must be generated by weight moving downhill.

A clever aerodynamic design is therefore advised if you’re aiming to win, and that is exactly what Steve Rosewell came up with. As it happens, he runs a design studio called Studio Kite in the nearby village of Pocket, which produces a wide range of fascinating 3D printing projects for movie sets, artists and medical studios. As a firm believer in the power of 3D printing, Rosewell leaped at the opportunity to enter the Bangalow Billy Cart Derby with a very unusual vehicle.

Finding inspiration from his youth, Rosewell designed an amazing cart called the Bukitty; “like Bugatti with a kite in it!” he explained. This fantastic cart, which is reminiscent of a 1960s Batmobile, was made from recycled ABS plastic, Rosewell's material of choice. What’s more, the whole production process was quite quick, as Rosewell said that design, trialing and finishing was all done in a very short time.

While the prop maker is in it to win it, Rosewell also said that his Bukitty cart perfectly showcases the relatively waste-free nature of 3D printing. “As a prop maker my dumpster was always overflowing with polystyrenes, resins and other horrid rubbish,” he recalled.

Since switching to 3D printing, waste is far less of an issue. He hopes his entry into the derby will inspire children and showcase what modern making techniques can do at a small level. “At the moment most of the usable (chipped) recycled ABS material comes from overseas, there are not as many local suppliers,” Rosewell said, adding that he hoped that his cart would help local governments recognize the recycling power of 3D printing. And with all eyes on the derby on 15 May, who knows what he could unleash in New South Wales.

 

 

Posted in Fun with 3D Printing

 

 

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