A new project - Nichimo Spirit FF - The first of a kind

[silvertriple]

This morning, a print was waiting for me on the printer bed....


I've started my day by checking my print and the parts around...

First important point was to check the gearbox mounting point... They are lining with the gearbox holes, but the motor plate cut out is having a half millimeter issue.


The radio box mounting points are lining up perfectly, as well as the battery door and battery holders


The top half chassis mounting points are also lining up, and I could check to remove one millimeter in the front extension.


I will need to review the chassis sketches before to make sure it would not impact any other measurement...

I also made an additional part, which means that for the suspension, I have now all the parts which are generally prone to break in CAD already...


I modified both the chassis motor plate cut out and the gearbox as they were linked in my CAD file, and I launched a gearbox left print to check if it meshes, and if the right one is lining up...

Next bumper plate and bumper...

[silvertriple]

The gearbox is printed... Time to do some checks.


First, the mesh is good.

Next step, trying to fit it with the right one...





Good : meshed, profile is right, position of the internals right, centering plot right, 8 holes rightly positioned
Bad : 3 holes requiring review, and some cut from the skid plate breaking a feature...

Not too bad when you consider the complexity of the part...

Corrections done, cut the profile of the gearbox and send it to the printer so I can check it's better...

[GoMachV]

Very impressive work!

[silvertriple]

Thanks!

I've finished the quick print of the gearbox profile. And it now matches the the gearbox (the real one)...


My gearbox is also good now

Gearbox halves are also ready for finish now...

[Dadio]

That's excellent work , well done , been out all day and this was great to see when I got home no matter how well you think you measure there is always something and only 3 out of 11 holes needing sligh adjustment is really good ! Doing only a section of a print to test is such a time and plastic saver .

[silvertriple]

Worked a bit on the CAD yesterday, but did not have a chance to post about it as it was very much time to go to sleep

Yesterday made the last part between the chassis and the bumper, which was required to be able to seat the bumper...



The web may not be perfect, but it's there...

And tonight was time to get the bumper done...
After too much sketches and extrusions, it's there...




I took an image from the front, and I think I know from where the inspiration of spaceships anime is coming from


Tomorrow will be time for top half chassis and perhaps the rollcage...

[silvertriple]

Started the top half chassis on Wednesday... That did not worked out like I wanted... So yesterday, I scrapped it, and restarted differently...

The masses are complex, but I feel like I'm on the right path this time...


The right side is even more complex due to the motor placement and some work to do to get room for it...


Later I had this



I checked and it seems it fits


In my original plan I had no intention to print the top half. That has changed

[Dadio]

At this stage I'd be thinking of building a printed runner and doing a shelf queen repair on the broken chassis .

[silvertriple]

At this stage I'd be thinking of building a printed runner and doing a shelf queen repair on the broken chassis .

Don't you think this idea got thru my mind already ?

I've thought about it, and there is absolutely now way to get the broken chassis together again... It is so broken a new one would be required. However, I definitely can tell my Nichimo Spirit FF will be a runner
The target is to have it ready for a vintage event in Belley (France, Rhone Alpes, Ain) early June

[silvertriple]

Again some work this afternoon, as I took my afternoon off today...

I did try my best to do the driver figure body, but it won't work the way I want. I stopped bothering about this and will rely on the body I had in one of the Tamiya box for a driver which only required the head as there was a body already on the chassis... The head will be the Nichimo one...


I'm not sure at all about my measurements, as even the tool doesn't help me much for this one. I decided to build a plate with the holes as per what is in the design right now, and I'll print it for a quick check of accuracy.


Here is what I have right now :


I did inspect the key potential touching points and all is sorted out...



Next is the roll cage. This will require a 3D sketchs to do some pipe along a designed path. Another first for me...


One comforting thing is that most of the key measurement are derived from existing points already in the design. I'll start once measure are validated/corrected...

[Dadio]

Pipe is awkward from what I remember , I had more luck using sweep or just making it square and adding fillets later . As I recall pipe often won't go as far as you want or follow the path you want , it's a pain but it's fairly likely I was doing it wrong

[GoMachV]

Not sure if you ever watched Married with Children but in one episode Kelly’s brain could only take in so much information before she started forgetting everyday things. This is my exact situation when dealing with Fusion360. My mind is blown with what you have done here while learning. Very nice work.

[silvertriple]

Not sure if you ever watched Married with Children but in one episode Kelly’s brain could only take in so much information before she started forgetting everyday things. This is my exact situation when dealing with Fusion360. My mind is blown with what you have done here while learning. Very nice work.

Thanks! I did not thought I would catch Fusion360 so fast.

But to be perfectly honest, I have a background in industrial engineering and although I don't use any of those competencies in my everyday job (working in IT, I'm not even sure I use any of my engineering degree competency in my job ), I have the ability to read plans, to see them in 3D in my mind and I suspect it helps a lot. Back in 1995, I worked a bit with some CAD tools, but they were nowhere in terms of user friendliness, and worst, I was faster drawing on a paper than even trying to do it in the CAD at that time... I guess it also helped a bit, although I did more in my first two hours of Fusion360 than I ever did in 1995 in the CAD tool we were using as students...

[silvertriple]

After my last post, I had a detail look at the roll cage, and laid out a plan...

First I set all the mounting points. Each one is a different body, but that's not really an issue, as they are going to join together once they are assembled at the end...

Then I worked out the rear side of the roll cage. It's all on the same plan, so one single sketch makes for it.


Next I worked out the front part, which is on a perpendicular plan as well... Last was the joining part, for which I used an axis between the two extreme points of the parts to be joined...
And voilà...


Then a mirror component


And I added the 3 braces between the roll cage, and that's it...




And that was easier than what I thought it would be...
And the good news is that I do now have a CAD model for each single part I need to print to revive this Nichimo Spirit FF

[GoMachV]

Have you used any professional printers yet? I have used shapeways a bunch, decent stuff. I know a lot have used immaterialize with good luck as well. I just sent off some files to JLCPCB to test out, they have crazy low pricing especially on resin prints, but even the PA12 was 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of shapeways. Might be worth looking into them if you havent used them yet.