Dec 1, 2015 | By Kira
Daniel Norée has released the free files for a fully 3D printable Formula One race car that is everything a great DIY 3D print project should be: it’s functional, it’s fun, it looks awesome, and most importantly, he’s designed it to be as easy and accessible as possible for any fellow maker who wants to give it a try. As the latest instalment in his OpenRC Project, the F1 race car is available to download now on Pinshape.
Norée initially began the OpenRC Project back in 2012 when he designed an open source RC Truggy. His goal was to create an active and engaged community around 3D printed radio controlled vehicles, and to encourage more people to get interested and involved in 3D printing technology. The community has now grown to over 4,000+ members who actively share their design files, ideas, tips, and finished 3D printed RC creations. In addition to the Truggy, Norée has also added an OpenRC Touring Car, an OpenRC Quad Copter, and now the OpenRC F1 Race Car to the collection.
What makes the F1 Race Car stand out from the others is that Norée took all of the lessons he learned from his previous OpenRC designs to make this one even more appealing and accessible to 3D print enthusiasts of all skill levels: "I wanted to create something for everyone that's less challenging to print and build,” he said. “I learned a lot from the Truggy that even though I’d like to think I met my goals on that project, not everyone could finish building their own because of the complexity and precision needed for some of the parts.”
"This time around, I used common PLA as the primary material instead of polycarbonate, and I made the parts more reasonably sized and easier to print," Norée said.
In addition to those upgrades, he used less sourced parts (other than the simple electronics kit, all that’s needed is a few screws, nuts and bearings), kept support structures to a minimum, and introduced a ‘servo saver’ that he is still currently tuning up, all with the goal of making this OpenRC project as make-able as possible.
In the end, the F1 car body and most of its parts are entirely 3D printable in regular PLA plastic, with just a small amount of flexible NinjaFlex or another similar flexible TPE material required for the tires. The car weighs around 500g, and the electronics kit consists of an ESC and motor combo, battery, micro servo, transmitter and receiver, and a LiPo charger for the battery. The full bill of materials (BOM) list is available on Pinshape.
In terms of his design process, things got a little hectic: “It´s been a rough ride with this one, changing CAD software in the last minute and redesigning the entire thing didn´t make things easier,” he explained. Just five weeks before the launch, Norée switched his CAD system to Fusion 360, and even though this might have ended up delaying the launch by a little, it ended up being worth it. “Long nights, alot of coffee and a understanding family made it happen. Fusion 360 introduced me to some new tools, such as T-Splines which are alot of fun. I used T-Splines for parts of the body but there´s so much more to learn!”
Finally, Norée said that it was important to him that the car be as functional as it is stylish, so that even those who aren’t into RC racing can proudly display it on their desk to show of their 3D printing skills.
In the end, Norée said that he is very happy with the end result, and proud of what he has accomplished—but, in the true spirit of open source design, he knows it’s still a work in progress. Currently, the STL files are available as a free download on Pinshape.com, however in the near future, he does plan to make more file types available across various 3D printing repositories.
“Pinshape.com was built to foster the open-source, collaborative nature of the 3D printing community and we try to encourage collaboration and remixing with our contests, like the recent MakerTron design challenge,” said Pinshape CEO Lucas Matheson. ÈWe're pumped Daniel chose Pinshape to launch his designs because we're a huge fans of his work. We featured him as our Designer of the Month back in August and we can't wait to see what the Pinshape community does with these awesome designs."
If you’re into 3D printing or RC vehicles, be sure to check out the OpenRC project it its entirety. Also, be sure to check out OpenRC member and 3D designer Thomas Palm’s 3D printable wheels for the OpenRC project, including a set of tires and rims designed specifically for the F1 race car.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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Excellent article: informative and educational. Great Job Danijel Noree!
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