Pine Wood Derby Project


     The goal behind this project was to design a car in Solid Works that met the specifications for a "Pine Wood Derby" race. It had to be within length & width parameters and could be no heavier than 5 ounces. Below is a pictorial process of the creation of my project.


My teammate and I decided on the design of a  Formula 1 race car. Our first objective was to gather data & pictures of the cars so we could get a good idea of what we were designing.



We went with the Formula 1 design because we wanted to push our design capability and have a cool looking car in the end!






After drawing an outline of the side view, we were able to import the image to Solid Works, trace and extrude it into a block; leaving us with the sketch you see on the right.



Next, we did the same thing from a top down perspective, leaving us with a form fitting outline of the Formula 1.




From this point, we were able to "chisel out" by: creating planes and extrude cutting non needed material. We created Top, Front, Side  planes to cut and add material. This was imperative to forming the final rendition.



After many painstaking hours of work, we finally had something that accurately represented a Formula 1 race car!





Front, Top & Side view pictures
(Final Design before printing)











We used an OBJET 3D printer to print out all of the project pieces. Below is the body, chassis, front and rear spoilers, after being printed and fully assembled.












The next phase was priming  painting & detailing. Two coats of primer, one coat of black and orange paint, and two coats of clear coat were added to assembled pieces.















Final project completed and awaiting wheels




After designing and printing out our model, we had to go back and complete drawings by adding dimensions to all of the necessary parts that needed to be printed. This step is used to prove that, given the designs, anyone can replicate the above project to specifications. Depicted below are the final drafts for the Formula 1 race car body and assembly.











Race Outcome

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