Applications and Implications
As the song says, It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll. On this assignment the core of the final project will be finally defined. Even if I've been working on this crazy project since day one, this is when things get really serious. So follow me on this week's assignment, as the final project will get a solid briefing and we can steer our time in the correct direction.
Chapter 1: What will it do?
I'm going to create a methodology for car designers to test different variants of their car models, with information embeded on the parts. The first spiral will consist in different car models that hold information on them and show the information on a screen. That screen will be placed on a base that will hold all the electronic components. The next spiral will be a larger scale car model with interchangeable parts made in PLA that will show information on a screen related to the parts that compose itself. The last spiral should be a large scale, automotive idustry standard 1:5 scale, created in resin, but I don't think I'll be able to reach that spiral.
Chapter 2: Who's done what beforehand?
As you can see, some design studios already create models with 3D printers. Some others still work with clay. Creating models with interchangeable parts (done by hand) was done at Pininfarina to create the first Ferrari models to show to the company management after the death of Enzo Ferrari in the pre-manzoni era. But nobody has done a modular design with information inside the parts.
Chapter 3: What will you design?
I'm going to design different versions of a car. Fellow designer Alberto Galindo, Ph.D in Design and professor in Universidad Europea will also create different versions of the same car. The idea is that the parts that he design and the parts that I design have to be interchangeable. I'll also design the electronics inside (with RFID connectivity and a screen to show the data) and the way to join them together.
Chapter 4:What materials and components will be used?
The car base will be done with milled and laser cut wood. The electronics will be placed on that base. The body parts will be made in 3D printing, the bodywork will be made out of PLA for the first spiral, and in resin for the last spiral, and the wheels are already made in PLA. The parts will be painted with water based automotive grade paint.
Bill of materials
| Units | Unit price | Total price | |
| PLA plastic (kg) | 4 | 25,00€ | 100,00€ |
| Black Acrylic 3mm | 1 | 20,00€ | 20,00€ |
| AtTiny1614 | 8 | 1,00€ | 8,00€ |
| Copper boards. | 3 | 5,00€ | 15,00€ |
| OLED screens | 4 | 4,00€ | 16,00€ |
| RFID modules | 4 | 5,00€ | 20,00€ |
| Resistors, regulators... (boards) | 4 | 3,00€ | 12,00€ |
| 9V power supply | 4 | 5,00€ | 20,00€ |
| Automotive grade paint and varnish | 1 | 200,00€ | 200,00€ |
| Other consumables (leds, tin, cables...) | 1 | 10,00€ | 10,00€ |
| Total aprox. | 421,00€ |
Chapter 5:Where will come from?
The wood is already in my lab. Some birch plywood leftovers from the "make something big" assignment will be used for the core, and some more pieces will be made from MDF boards. The resin will be provided by Photocentric distribuitor for our LC Magna printer, and will be paid by the lab. The PLA wheels were made from old rolls that were in the lab already when I got here a year ago, but for the bodywork parts I'm using PLA 3D850 from SmartMaterials.
Chapter 6: How much will they cost?
For the first two spirals I'll use PLA, wood, electronics and also some sand paper and paint for the finishing. The FabLab paid for the PLA, around 3 kg will be used, for a total price of around 90 euros. The paint will be about 80 euros and I'll pay for it. The wood for the make something big assignment was about 140 euros and my lab paid for it. I'll also use four RFID sensors and different electronic components (resistors, capacitors, etc)
For the last spiral I estimate that about 5 kg of resin will be used in the making of this model. That's around 350 euros worth of resin.
Chapter 7: What parts and systems will be made?
-The base: will be the core of the car, where all the electronics will be hidden, and where the bodywork will be placed
-The body: will be the central part of the body of the car. It will remain unchanged.
- The front: the front fascia of the car will be interchangeable and will be able to store information in it. More than one variation can and should be made.
- The rear: the rear fascia of the car will be interchangeable and will be able to store information in it.
- The top: the windshield and roof of the car will be interchangeable and will be able to store information in it.
Chapter 8:What processes will be used?
In order for this project to be completed, after the CAD design of the model, we will use 2D milling, laser cutting, electronics design and production with PCB milling and soldering of the components, and the main visible parts will be 3D printed in resin and PLA, and then painted with automotive grade primer and metallic paint.
Chapter 9:What questions need to be answered?
The main objective of this experiment is if the car companies can adopt FabLabs in their design centers, and if that will be an improvement on the methodology, reduce design times, improve functionalities on their prototypes and will plant a seed on how FabLabs can help in the automtive industry.
Chapter 10:How will it be evaluated?
The best test I can think of is taking the final model to a real design center and ask the designers if they like it or not. However, for me it will be considered a success if the model, printed, painted and presented can display on the screen the information of the parts.
So that's it for now, folks. I hope you liked it and hope we can continue watching this project grow together. Cheers!.