Smart car rebuild project to demonstrate RP
A
3T RPD product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Sep 29, 2003
The Rapid Product Development Group is launching a new and innovative project to demonstrate the capability of components built using state-of-the-art rapid prototyping technologies.
The Rapid Product Development Group (RPDG) is launching a new and innovative project to demonstrate the capability of components built using state-of-the-art rapid prototyping technologies available within the group, in particular selective laser sintering (SLS).
3T RPD, a member of the RPDG, has purchased a Smart car, and the project will be based at the company's Newbury premises.
The aim is to replicate or redesign components on the car, and rebuild them using various techniques including polyurethane vacuum casting and SLS.
The car will then be driven in normal everyday conditions to actively demonstrate their functionality in true working environments, thereby increasing the database of knowledge surrounding the technology being used.
3T will be offering the opportunity to final year students in the South East region to work on this project.
With involvement from the University of Portsmouth and the Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, they will have access to a vast range of rapid prototyping facilities, 3D CAD and measurement techniques.
With 3T boasting the UK's largest capacity for selective laser sintering, they will be able to design, develop, prototype and test a range of components on the Smart car.
The initiative for ideas rests with the students, however some existing proposals include: customising existing features such as headlamp surrounds and hub caps to provide bespoke visual identity; new internal and external accessories such as cup holders and sports equipment racks to be conceived, designed, prototyped and tested in situ; and the potential to enhance the performance of the car through the use of air scoops to force more air into the engine.
As this project will be totally run and controlled from within the RPDG, there will be no limit on the publication of test results, unlike the usual company confidentiality restrictions encountered.
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