Here are some pics of the first real model. In order to reduce tooling costs, I try to do most of the engineering in advance. I'm using 3D printing technology for the first prototypes, therefore the rough surfaces and the rather thick walls.

 

 

The model is already fully transformable, but I still have to abrade some interior points. The next step is to update the 3D mesh after this test and then to go for the tooling process with the tool maker.

 

And here are some pics from the printer workshop:

 

 

More to come...

:awsum :awsum :awsum

Awesome :yay

Hear hear! Awesome indeed! Can't wait to see more, I would love to buy one of these.

 

Oh, and 3D printing FTW!

Here are some pics of the first real model. In order to reduce tooling costs, I try to do most of the engineering in advance. I'm using 3D printing technology for the first prototypes, therefore the rough surfaces and the rather thick walls.

 

 

The model is already fully transformable, but I still have to abrade some interior points. The next step is to update the 3D mesh after this test and then to go for the tooling process with the tool maker.

 

And here are some pics from the printer workshop:

 

 

More to come...

:win Thanks for the shots!

Very nice. If it's not too much to ask, would it be possible to get a ballpark figure for the cost of printing the prototype? I think a lot of us have designs we wouldn't mind seeing realised in plastic...

Okay, yeah. I want one of those. Bad.

 

I've always wanted a bus TransFormer. It's about danged time.

Very nice. If it's not too much to ask, would it be possible to get a ballpark figure for the cost of printing the prototype? I think a lot of us have designs we wouldn't mind seeing realised in plastic...

 

That depends on the size, or better: the volume of the parts.

This one had about 110 cubic centimeters and would be somewhat around 150 Euros.

I'm professor for virtual design at our local university of applied sciences and the printer was one of the first acquisitions I made.

 

If you are interested in using the printer, you can email the model to my assistant and he will calculate a quote.

Let me know.

I've got one design that compresses down into under 3x6x7cm (just over 100cc), but that's with all the parts in extremely close proximity. Although if the expense is purely based on the amount of material used, I guess it wouldn't be a bad approximation. There are a lot of fiddly parts, though, and at that size some of the features are at the half-millimetre scale.

 

For EUR150, I could probably justify having one printed at a future date, but I'd really want to have the design gone over first with some animation software with interpenetration testing, and then by a modelling artist specialising in surface detail. My own efforts are, I'm afraid, very bleakly functional.

 

Plus, of course, there are still a handful of components I have to work on - I've only got some of the modes modelled, and those rather crudely.

This is friggin fantastic. Be sure to make a way so that us yankees don't miss out on the bus goodness. I've always been interested in seeing a commercial bus and a school bus TF :P

I've got one design that compresses down into under 3x6x7cm (just over 100cc), but that's with all the parts in extremely close proximity. Although if the expense is purely based on the amount of material used, I guess it wouldn't be a bad approximation. There are a lot of fiddly parts, though, and at that size some of the features are at the half-millimetre scale.

 

For EUR150, I could probably justify having one printed at a future date, but I'd really want to have the design gone over first with some animation software with interpenetration testing, and then by a modelling artist specialising in surface detail. My own efforts are, I'm afraid, very bleakly functional.

 

Plus, of course, there are still a handful of components I have to work on - I've only got some of the modes modelled, and those rather crudely.

 

Interesting approach for a multiple-changer! But I guess such tiny parts that go under one or two millimetres thickness won't be realizable with a 3D printer. For such stuff, you better go for some different rapid prototyping technology.

 

On the other hand, with the printer, I was able to print fully assembled ball joints with the legs and hip already connected. That made the bus prototype quite easy to produce. But, as said, that won't work on too small parts.