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3D print rc car body
About Us — SCALE 3D RC
We love scale
We love scale! We love finding that next accessory as much as the next guy! But everybody with the exception of the most dedicated have the same bodies to choose from. Getting a different hard shell body just is not as easy as it should be. We aim to change that with 3D Printing.
Our hope is that we can add a new model every two weeks and build a library of bodies scaled to 1/10th that can be fitted to existing chassis that are available on the market. With that being said our models are free of predetermined mounting systems but suggestion lugs may be present and it is at the soul discretion of the end user to determine the best way to mount a chosen shell to the chassis of choice. We would love to try to print each model that we design and attempt to identify which chassis it may work with best, however we have to admit, as of May 2018, that is not going to happen. Consider these models "beta" in nature, due to requests and a growing list we are finding a demand we did not anticipate. That all being said, below is our mission and what we value. Keep in mind this is a work in progress, we now have 3 of us working model design, web design, public relations and the like, but we will make mistakes, when you catch us in an error please message us on social media or email us via [email protected] and we will do our very best to make it right. Lets change the face of Scale RC together!
Our Mission
We are determined to encourage a higher participation of the community in using 3D printing. When was the last time you found a set of never before seen hard bodies to choose from being provided by the manufacturers? We want to change the face of Scale RC. We want to encourage and give permission to the community to use our model files and create aftermarket accessories like the world has never seen. We need light buckets for some, bolt on sun visors over windshields, side boards for truck beds, custom hoods for some....or all, hinges for hoods, engine bays, interiors the list goes on and on.
We have already stated that we will not provide everything with our file sets and you whom have had that conversation with us can back us up on this. We want to foster an ecosystem of inclusiveness that we can all benefit from. We want to create the lowest possible entry point for getting into 3D printing for our hobby as well as display to us all our Shapeways offerings and be confronted with the question,"Do I get a single model that's perfect and in a single piece that does not need assembly? or Do I get a printer, some filament and start learning to print?". The markup on the shapeways files is the same as buying the printable files on our site, you just get a far superior model that will require a lot less work.
An Honor system
We also encourage/give permission to those that own printers to print our bodies for those that ask, we only ask that you have them buy our files for themselves and provide you with proof of purchase prior to the print then charge them for the material and time, whatever your market will bare.
Or you could also factor in the cost of a Thumb Drive, the files and then provide the Thumb Drive, with their copy of the files and purchase receipt on it to the end user. Keep in mind this is not permission for you the printer to keep a copy of the files printed for your personal use with each print request. For your personal use you should be buying your own copies of the file sets. We know this is all on an honor system and some will take advantage of us but we believe you should be able to print your body files as needed for yourself and others, have one of another color for each day of the week, we do not put a print limit on the print files. Just keep it fair, we are pouring our souls into trying to create a real alternative for all of us and provide the entry point that many of us can afford.
Its a solution
Is this the perfect solution? Not at all! The layers can crack, sometimes they don't print the way you expect and you can be sure it wont survive a drop off a 10 ft cliff.
However to our surprise our first full model was printed with 1/2 of a 1 kg spool of filament to completion. That is $15 to $18 (based on $30.00 cost of the spool, you can find it for less) in filament over 5 days of printing.
You may ask, “What if I break it”? Its not the end of the world, there is no limit on the number of times you can print the files you purchase for yourself, just print a new one and now have a reason to try a new color scheme, work on those finishing skills or try those new prototype hood hinges you spent a month creating.....not that we want to see landfills full of incomplete or broken plastic bodies, so lets try keep this as responsible as possible.
and again the invitation is open,
will you join us?
Let us change the face of Scale RC together!
FAQ's — SCALE 3D RC
Our FAQ’s include some affiliate links…If you use them we get a small kickback from amazon and we really appreciate it! Again, As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Scale 3D RC, Inc does not offer a 3D print service or 3D printed body/shells ready for assembly or pre-assembled. Scale 3D RC, Inc only produces and sells files that can be printed using additive manufacturing such as 3D Printing. You will need to have access to a 3D Printer, know some one that does or find a print service provider either locally or online.
02. How much filament is required to print a body/shell?This will depend on the size of the body/shell of course. A long SUV type body will use more filament than a Cab alone. In our own experience we typically purchase a single 1 kg spool of filament and print an entire SUV shell. Granted that is, as long as everything goes correctly. Learning curve can have an impact on filament usage as well.
Below are Paid affiliate links to HATCHBOX filament on amazon you can use to check pricing or purchase.
This we can recommend as we have had excellent results with their product.
PLA filament has a lower heat resistance while ABS, though harder to learn to print, has a higher heat resistance. Other types of filaments are also available.
HATCHBOX PLA 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, Black Buy on Amazon
HATCHBOX ABS 3D Printer Filament, Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.03 mm, 1 kg Spool, 1.75 mm, White Buy on Amazon
03. I don’t know the first thing about 3D printing! What do I do?
Neither did we when we started this adventure back in 2016. But with some perseverance and the help of a “Massive” 3D print community online we were able to get to the point we are today. The shear amount of helpful websites and forums is incredible! The hardest part for us was learning how to ensure the first layer was on the build plate in the correct fashion.
It needs to go down as a ribbon not a tube. Then came learning about increasing adhesion. Now we have difficulty getting the parts off of the build plate, but the parts always stay put (A little glue stick goes a long ways). We have dealt with warping, cracking, clogged nozzle, print shift and even a motherboard melt down (Why it is so important to do your homework before you buy a printer). We have even seen people just like you buy their first printer just to try our body/shell files and have there first one printed in a couple of weeks. So with time and some patience we have truly enjoyed learning what is possible with 3D Printing and so can you! The sky is the limit.
Here is a link to the 44 problems with 3D printing and some suggestions on how to work through them. “44 Issues explained - by rigid.ink”
Beyond that, the vast amount of YouTube content on 3D Printing will keep you busy for years.
04. How large of a printer do I need and how much will that cost?The minimum build volume size that you will need to print our body/shells at home in an approximate 1/10th scale is 200 mm W X 200 mm Deep X 180 mm H.
The cost of printers large enough can vary widely depending on the feature set and construction of the model.
Below are Paid affiliate links to 3D Printers that are large enough to print our default 1/10th scale (roughly) body/shells and each is less than $400.00 at the time of this page creation, the majority below $300.00. This means you can pick one up for as much as a new High End RC Crawler Truck kit or less, such as an Axial SCX-10 II, RC4WD Trailfinder 2 and the like. This of course begs the question,”Do I get a new Truck kit, or a 3D printer and start learning how to print bodies/shells for the chassis I already have?”
You can use these links below to check pricing or purchase, however, do your home work! We are not going to indicate that we are recommending any of these printers. These are examples of partially assembled 3D Printers that are large enough with lower setup times with fully DIY (you fully assemble) kits for less, so as you narrow down the selections go to the manufacturer’s forums and find the fan pages on Facebook or other social platforms and try to find out what the user base is complaining about.
We do not believe that any one printer will be perfect, so being prepared for what can go wrong and knowing how to overcome it will go a long way to keep enthusiasm high and downtime to a minimum. The only other thing to consider would be features that may be valuable to you.
If you have purchased a wider chassis that, for example uses Portal Axles increasing the width of the foot print, you would benefit from a larger print volume unit such as the example Tevo Tornado below. With the 300 mm W X 300 mm D by 400 mm H build volume, this would allow for scaling up and printing shells at the wider widths.
Comgrow Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer with Upgrade Cmagnet Build Surface Plate and UL Certified Power Supply 8.6" x 8.6" x 9.8" Buy on Amazon
Monoprice Maker Select Plus 3D Printer With Large Heated (200 X 200 X 180 mm) Build Plate, LCD Touchscreen Display + Free Sample PLA Filament And MicroSD Card Preloaded With Printable 3D Models Buy on Amazon
JGMAKER Magic 3D Printer with Filament Sensor and Resume Print 220x220x250mm Buy on Amazon
TEVO Tornado 3D Printer, 2018 Newest Model 95% Assembled with Full Aluminum Frame Larger Printing Size Upgraded Nozzle & Heatbed for PLA, ABS, TPU, Copper, Wood, and Flexible Filaments, 300x300x400mm Buy on Amazon
05.
That seems quite the investment to print a body or two….. are there other alternatives?Yes, though we believe the best long term value is found in the DIY route with your own printer at home. The alternatives are to find a local 3D Print service provider, check for groups on Facebook that offer 3D print services or upload the purchased file to sites such as www.shapeways.com and get quotes.
Also, keep in mind that we do not have a limit to the number of times that you can use the files to print a shell. This is not a license to print a shell for all of your friends, they need to purchase their own files to print their own bodies, however if you do happen to damage a shell beyond repair you can print another, try a new paint scheme, hone those finishing skills.
Lets just be sure to be mindful of keeping this responsible, it is likely OK to have a different shell for each day of the week, but likely not necessary to have one for each day of the year. We also do not want to see land fills full of broken or unfinished body/shells.
Lets be responsible.
As stated above, we do not have a print limit on the files, however we want the community to remain responsible with the printing of files. We can see users wanting to have more than one of a given body and we figure that up to 7 would be acceptable for a given model at any given time, but lets keep it responsible.
Regarding printing for friends, we have no problem with you offering your printer and skills as available to your friends to print bodies, however we do not give you permission to use your own files purchased from us for their body/shell prints. We need to pay our bills and feed our families too, so each user should be purchasing their own sets of files. When you print for them, you should not be retaining a copy of their files for your self but you should be ensuring that they do have their copies of files they have purchased when the printing is complete.
This will ensure that they have the option and a reason to consider getting their own 3D Printer if they decide they want to give it a shot. What, if any amount, you charge for your skills and equipment time is between you and your “Friends”. What your “Market” will bare for you is for you to figure out.
If you are a business that offers a 3D Print Service, you are welcome to print our files for those that do not have a 3D Printer of their own. We ask that you either ask them to show you proof of their purchase prior to the print or buy the files for the customer, along with a USB thumb drive and provide the customer with the files, jump drive and digital copy of their receipt when they pickup and pay for the completed print, passing those additional costs on to the customer appropriately. The end result being the same, the customer has the files in hand to provide them with the option and reason to potentially try 3D Printing themselves or bring them back to you on the provided thumb drive for another print if needed.
We know this is an honor system, some will value this and some will not. We hope that our entry level price point will out weigh those feelings of cost savings.
07. Why is it that some bodies differ in what accessories/parts are included or do not quite look right?From the very beginning of our inception, we have recognized that 3D Printing for RC and 3D Design for RC are going to become an ever growing valued skill set for the RC enthusiasts of tomorrow. We may find this hard to believe now, but the enthusiasts of the future will need to have these skills as nearly 2nd nature. To that end, we have purposely left every model as incomplete and without a mounting system. We ensure you get a basic shell with basic accessories and we also vary those accessories from model to model. We do however expect that those that have already acquired or those with the desire to acquire these skills to fill this gap.
We have also published some basic getting started in 3D Design videos on our YouTube Channel to get you started in design.
We want to pass on the starting point that we started with and encourage the community to design accessories and mounts for the body/shells. Make them available for us to purchase from you by getting them uploaded to sites such as www.shapeways.com or www.myminifactory.com. We believe that you should benefit from your involvement in our adventure.
It also allows us to keep our design time and therefore our file set costs to a minimum.
Why do they look like they do? 90+% of the work is done by eye, looking at different references. Who is to say our eyes are the best for this…..we wont say it.
08. What are you using for the windows/glass?We have had excellent results using 3/32 Lexan/Poly-carbonate. Of the clear plastics available it is the one that seems to heat to a pliable temperature without shrinking using a heat gun. This allows for roughing in a pane and if needed heating and bending it to fit an opening where needed.
Beware! Overheating can cause boiling or bubbles to appear inside the structure of the Lexan/Poly-carbonate.
Also, we have never made a single bent windshield in a single take, it is pretty tricky when doing it by hand.
Below are Paid affiliate links to similar product as we have used. We have been buying ours locally at our local hardware store.
SIBE-R Plastic Supply Polycarbonate Sheet 3/32" (.093) x 12" x 12" - Clear … Buy on Amazon
Wagner Spraytech Wagner 0503008 HT1000 Heat Gun 2 Temp Settings 750ᵒF & 1000ᵒF, Buy on Amazon
09. Scaling! What if my chassis of choice is only 1/18th Scale or maybe 1/5th Scale?That is the beauty of 3D Printing. Parts can be scaled prior to print right in the slicing software. It really is that flexible! We have users that have printed down to as small as 1/35th scale for Orlandoo Crawlers using .04 mm nozzles with nearly adequate results, as well as attempts down to 1/72nd scale that failed.
These results could be improved by using a smaller nozzle at the extruder/hot-end of the printer. The issue is that when scaling parts, everything scales including wall thickness, so you can go so small that the nozzle can not print a wall since it now to thin.
On the other end of the spectrum, going larger will be most impacted by the size of the build volume of your printer (although a larger nozzle will also help allowing for shorter print times).
The options available are to hack up the parts in 3D software to make the parts smaller or get a printer with a larger print bed.
10. What software do you recommend for those just starting out in 3D Design?There are many software titles out there that can be used to create models for the RC Community. Fusion 360, TinyCAD, FreeCAD, TurboCAD, AutoCAD(Makers of Fusion 360) and honestly the list will continue to grow.
Our suggestion is Blender from www.blender.org since it is free to use on Windows, Mac or Linux and can be used for both personal and commercial purposes.
We know! The Learning Curve! But it is free, and we have done our best at this point to provide the starting points to make it easier with our YouTube content. So with some perseverance it is possible to get great results.
They are also nearing the release of version 2.8 which is really going to revamp the interface. It sounds like it will really reduce the learning curve. Looking forward to testing it.
11. I tried, but my computer just dies when working in 3D!Not every computer will be able to handle 3D printing or 3D Design. Google Chrome books are likely not powerful enough and may not have access to software needed via the google play store! You will want powerful graphics for 3D design and a faster processor is better than slower when it comes to slicing and just daily use.
Our recommendations :
Nvidia Dedicated or Integrated Graphics or AMD Radeon Dedicated or Integrated Graphics with modern processors makes working with 3D parts smoother.
Intel 8th gen i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processors or better should do the job nicely even if mobile in application.
SSD Hard drive Storage is faster then mechanical Hard Drive Storage. This will make loading and saving 3D designs faster.
More RAM Memory is better then less RAM Memory and allows the computer to work with more information without loading it off of the SSD or the Mechanical Hard drive. 4GB of memory is at the lowest end of what is acceptable, 8GB or more will be a real benefit as model design gets more complex and makes working with them faster and smoother.
12. I have heard that the 3D Printed bodies are not strong enough or not TEMPERATURE RESISTANT enough.
Being totally honest, they are not going to stand up to as much abuse or heat as mold injected bodies nor be as resilient as Lexan bodies. Especially since you have multiple choices when it comes to the filament that is used to print the shell. We even have received reports from a couple of users that learned the hard way that PLA will become soft in direct sun light.
But there are other filament choices with higher temperature resistance. All that being said however, a quick google search will net plenty of real life car parts melting in the sun as well. It is up to all of us to be mindful of the conditions we use or leave our bodies/shells in.
That being said however, recall we have no print limit on the files as stated earlier. So you do not have to be afraid to use your truck as well. You can always print another if you need to.
Parts for RC cars on 3D printer (hpi sprint2)
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03/15/2018
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Production of the HPI SPRINT2 model on a 3D printer. Suspension elements for a radio-controlled car model are made using 3D printing technology and three-dimensional modeling.
The use of polymers makes suspension elements or other parts for radio-controlled models of cars more durable and easily replaceable. It is possible to make changes to the design of spare parts at the modeling stage. This can significantly affect the functionality of your product and model. The datasheets are short-lived, light weight, and have good durability.
Suspension arms for hpi sprint2 RC model made with 100% gray plastic infill.
As a result, you get new levers for your model quickly and easily.
Well, now you can already drift like an adult!
Join the technology of printing on a 3D printer and get a lot of pleasure from the result. The specialists of this portal will be happy to answer your questions about the use of materials and the properties of elements for a particular task. The 3DELO team wishes everyone to enjoy the work done! Let your result please those around you!
Details on this work can be found at this link.
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I'll use
for the main topic before I go to the main post 3D printer in general.
As a hobby, I build radio-controlled car models. This hobby is very exciting and diverse both in terms of directions and implementation technologies. My direction is 6x6 trucks. And as a base model, I chose KRAZ. Especially I will not go into the construction process, for those who are interested I will throw off a link to the profile forum, where everything is shown. For this topic, I’ll just say that at the moment I have two finished models (well, almost finished): only external improvements are needed for small things. This is an airborne version of KRAZ 6322 and an armored car KRAZ 6322 Fiona (also based on KRAZ 6322). The models were designed in Solidworks.
Video for an example of how the model drives. Who is interested in the same place on "like my channel" you can watch other videos.
Download video
So.
I have been choosing drivers for my models for a long time. It was supposed to be a replica figure of the driver, made in the form of an articulated or BJD doll, so that it could be used to form different themes for filming. And it is desirable that this model can be printed on a 3D printer, so that you can print a whole detachment of soldiers, for example. But something did not come across normal well-designed models.
And then one day there was information from a member of the portal amforma that he was going to develop a model specifically for such tasks. Initially, the developments shown indicated that this was exactly what I needed. And when the model was finally finished by the author, he began to print.
Initially, the model was made in a scale of 1:10, but 3D printing makes it easy to scale the model in a slicer. Since my car models are in 1:12 scale, the driver model was printed reduced to 87% of the original. Printed with ABS plastic from ESun (not advertising), Skin Color, nozzle diameter 0.
2mm, layer height 0.05mm, speed 80. I have never printed such small details before. It turned out well, but there were problems with the airflow - it is uneven on all sides, so where there is less of it, there were some defects on the model (the printer for an upgrade 😊then try to print again).
I found clothes on TaoBao, there are many different ones, including sportswear. Also there is a weapon, also useful.
Well, next to the car, it also seems to look good
The option on a scale of 1: 6 (the original was increased to 166%).
My personal opinion about the model
The model turned out great, just what I needed.
But there are some points (perhaps the author will want to improve the model if he reads this post):
1. The model is missing feet in the form of shoes. If you use clothes, then the driver is always barefoot. If there were several options for shoes (military boots, sneakers, shoes, etc.
