objective
build a simple 1:16 rc model made of mostly 3d printed parts.
design
i am not really an rc car driver aficionado but i find it it very interesting to design and build rc cars. my previous rc car project, the 1:6 rc car chassis, took quite a long time to design, build and optimize due to the large components and the challenges regarding dynamic stability. but i got an appreciation for camber, toe and castor.
this project was supposed to be much simpler without much consideration regarding the geometry of the suspension system. furthermore most components had to be 3d printable to reduce the amount of manual work to make everything fit together. so most components such as axles, wheels, tires, etc. are all 3d printed. apart from the electronics and the motor pinion only some m3 bolts, nuts and washers as well as several types of ball bearings were needed to finish the chassis.
assembly
the following pictures show the assembly of the chassis:
electronics
3d printed parts
3d printed parts
step 1, glue axle halves together
step 2, glue suspensions to gearbox halves
step 3, glue tires to rims
step 4, bolt front suspension to chassis
step 5, fix steering blocks
step 6, insert front axles, secure with sleeve and glue
step 7, assemble gearbox
step 7, assembled gearbox
step 8, insert gears
step 9, bolt chassis to gearbox
step 10, insert servo using double sided tape
step 11, bolt steering to steering blocks
step 12, mount motor
step 13, bolt wheels to chassis
step 14, place gearbox cover and secure it
step 15, install electronics
step 16, insert battery
step 17, take it for a spin!
3d models
the 3d models can be found on thingiverse where you can also download them:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3702699
on thingiverse you can also find a car body that fits the chassis:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3717093
how the model was created
for years i have been using creo elements express for all my 3d models. ever since they require a new license every few days i switched to autodesk’s fusion 360. while creo elements is a direct modeler without any model history, fusion 360 offers a history that can be modified at will. this made the modeling of the chassis very easy.
the outer surface of the car body on the other hand was made in blender. this mesh body was imported into freecad, converted to a solid body and exported to a step file that was then imported again into fusion 360 for further cad work.