Coilover Project (3D Print)

grabcad

The whole coilover project is a “spin-off” of my original idea of 3D printing a car transmission. I needed some experience with the accuracy and tolerances of the 3d printer I was using at that time, so I decided to make a quick model of a coilover; shock absorber and spring. The point with this “pre-print” was to get some experience with the accuracy and precession of the printer so I could get the correct tolerances for future prints. The spring was not printed since this is not possible. After the initial print (see pictures) of the “dummy” coilover, I feel in love with the idea of making a coilover you could use to demonstrate how shock absorbers and springs work, and especially how they work together. The basic idea of the project is to 3D print parts you can assemble and to show/demonstrate the mechanisms of a coilover. Because I want to be able to assemble and disassemble the coilover I’m going to use bolts and various seals. I’m also going to buy a spring and steel rod, instead of printing these parts as well. To be able to demonstrate the shock absorbing mechanism, the main chamber will consist of an acrylic cylinder, roughly ØOut50 x ØIn42 x 200mm. I hope this will give a good picture of how the fluid flows inside the chamber, when being affected by the piston. To be continued...