abrown wrote:
This right up my alley..I just finished up high school (headed to UVA Mech-E in the fall), and my senior thesis project for honors was my own design of an aero-road helmet (used AutoCad, 3D printer, and small wind-tunnel). Saved 9W at 30mph. Was mentored along the way by the guys at Specialized.
The 3D printer you'll likely have access to will probably not be capable of printing a surface with a low CdA. No matter what level of definition you set it to. Remember, it's not injection-mold plastic. Depending on what printer you have, it may lay down the material in a hollow honeycomb pattern. I know MakerBot does this.
Very cool. I'd love to see a pic of said helmet.
And the printer we have, while I forget the name, is a pretty nice one. We have a small Makerbot, but the other one is a couple years old but at the time it was top of the line. The printers foot print is about 2'x2'x3', and it prints abs with a pretty good resolution. Also, for any hollow spaces that are going to have material over them, it prints a different plastic in a larger coarser honeycomb structure to provide support while printing. You then dissolve that extra material out. The actual part however isn't honeycomb, so sanding is a reality.
