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3D Printing and Assembly

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Adith Jagadish Boloor edited this page Jan 19, 2018 · 1 revision

General Information

Each 3D printed part was designed through a cloud based CAD platform called OnShape. It is free to use and can be accessed simply by creaing a free account at www.onshape.com (use a .edu email to unlock the premium account for free). Since it is cloud based, it is very useful if there are multiple people that work on parts together. It is virtually a google doc, but for 3D design. I have included uneditable .stl files that can be used to print the designs. If you would like to be able to edit the model, visit https://grabcad.com/library/pi-car-1 and download the .step files. Once downloaded, these files can be migrated to the CAD software of your choice.

There are six parts that need that need to be 3D printed: the chassis, bottom motor holder, top motor holder, encoder holder, camera post, and the second-level plate. Only one print of each part is needed to assemble one complete car. It is very important that the parts are printed in the orientations shown below. You may put more than one part in a single print however ensure that the correct orientation is maintained. The parts were printed on an Ultimaker Extended 2 and sliced using the free Cura Software version 15.04.3. The images included below are screenshots from this Cura interface.

Components for one car

  • 1 x Chassis
  • 1 x Top motor holder
  • 1 x Bottom motor holder
  • 1 x Encoder holder
  • 1 x Camera post
  • 1 x Second-level plate

Component Usage

  1. Chassis: The main frame of the vehicle where the motors, encoders, ESCs, motor holders, encoder holders, and camera post are attached.
  2. Top/Bottom Motor Holders: These pieces will go above and below the motors in the front of the vehicle and will help to secure the motors to the chassis. They are attached via six screws and nuts.
  3. Encoder Holder: This piece goes below the encoders in the rear of the vehicle. They are attached to the chassis via six screws and nuts.
  4. Camera Post: This piece is screwed into the front of the vehicle with two screws and nuts. It is connected to the camera via four screws and nuts.
  5. Second-Level Plate: This piece is stilted from the chassis via three standoffs, two in the back and one in the front. The RaspberryPi and the battery are connected to the top of this piece through either screws or industrial grade velcro.

Chassis Print Settings:

The chassis should be printed flat as seen in the photo below. Ensure that the “Support Everywhere” setting is selected. Chassis Print Screenshot

Top Motor Holder Print Settings:

The top motor holder should be printed with the inner circle facing upwards as seen in the image below. Ensure that the “Brim” setting is selected. Top Motor Holder Print Screenshot

Bottom Motor Holder Print Settings:

The bottom motor holder should be printed with the inner circle facing upwards as seen in the image below. Ensure that the “Brim” setting is selected. Bottom Motor Holder Print Screenshot

Encoder Holder Print Settings:

The encoder holder should be printed with the inner circle facing upwards as seen in the image below. Ensure that the “Brim” setting is selected. Encoder Holder Print Screenshot

Camera Post Print Settings:

The camera post should be printed in the same orientation that it will be used on the car. Ensure that the “Support Everywhere” setting is selected. Camera Post Print Screenshot

Second-Level Plate Print Settings:

The plate should be printed with a 180 degree flip from how it will be used in the car. This is done so to avoid building unnecessary supports. See image below. Ensure that the “Support Everywhere” setting is selected. Second-Level Plate Print Screenshot

Once all the parts have been printed, the information on the following Instructable will help you assemble the base of the car: http://www.instructables.com/id/PiCar-an-Autonomous-Car-Platform/

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