3 D P R I N T I N G S U P P L E M E N T
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HOWTECHSOFT DEMONSTRATED RAPID PROTOTYPINGTOTHE BLUEBIRD TEAM
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aspect of human achievement there have always been those with an instinct to push the boundaries of what might be possible.When it comes to transportation and ultimate speed over land and water, nothing epitomises this endeavourmore than the names Campbell and Bluebird.
The Campbell Dynasty There has been a Campbell
competing to be the fastest in the world on land or water for the last 100 years. It started with Sir Malcolm Campbell in 1911 when he named his Brooklands race car ‘Bluebird’ and that name has remained with the family for record breaking cars and boats to this day. By the 1920s, Sir Malcolm had turned his attention to pure speed rather than track racing and he captured the world land speed record at Pendine Sands in 1924. The latest to inherit the family ‘speed-gene’ is Sir Malcolm’s grandson DonWales and (representing the fourth Campbell generation) his son Joe. Don already holds eight UK electric land speed records with the Bluebird car and the world land speed record for a steam-powered car. In 2010, Don got himself into the Guinness Book of Records to be the fastest man on earth on a powered lawnmower – over 90mph on a machine still capable of trimming the lawn! Don, Joe and the Bluebird Team
were at Pendine Sands inAugust for speed trials aimed at nudging the car even closer to the 200mph figure it has every chance of achieving. TechSoft was delighted to be invited to join them at Pendine to help look at how
How technology can help in Campbell’s new
record-bidding eco-car’s development by Tim Elderton of TechSoft
CAD/CAM, reverse engineering and 3D technology might play a part in the development of the next Bluebird. Move Forward by Reverse Engineering Electric Bluebird was built in
1999 and has undergone numerous modifications to squeeze more speed and endurance from an already advanced design. There is certainly more to come but to threaten the current 300mph+ world record and go on to a predicted 500mph+ will require further design changes and probably a new car. The existing car is the obvious place to start and modern computer modelling tools will be ideal to develop the design without the need for so many prototypes and expensive test runs. This means creating a digital
model of the car; taking it apart in the digital environment and re-assembling it using the most successful parts, modifying weaker aspects and leaving out anything not needed. This is ‘reverse engineering’ and schools using SolidWorks will already be aware that mechanical stress and aerodynamics can all be checked ‘on-screen’ once a model is
created.Although CAD and CNC machining had been used in the creation of Bluebird, the overall car is largely hand-built and does not exist as a complete model for computer analysis – at least not until now! TechSoft has several options for
3D scanning and these range from the inexpensive contact scanners for Roland Modela and RotoCAMM machines to the Roland Picza LPX-series laser scanners. Scanning a whole racing car, however, requires scanning technology on a grander scale. This is where RalphWeir and his team at Phase Vision come in to the picture. Using their portable white
light scanning technology, Phase Vision scanned Bluebird from all sides and created a full 3D model of the car in digital form. Despite the massive file size, HPDesignjet 3D software solution was able to process it and, a couple of clicks later, our HPDesignjet 3D printer was making a tough, accurate model. Meeting the Challenge Cutting-edge projects such as
Bluebird run to the tightest of deadlines and this was no exception.With only a couple of days to check the file and demonstrate the whole reverse-engineering process with Phase Vision, logistical problems were
inevitable.Awindswept tent on the Pendine seafront and power from a temperamental generator is not the best scenario but, as expected, the HPDesignjet 3D printer proved totally reliable. Tough, professional-quality models were an absolute requirement and the HPDesignjet 3D needed to deliver this without fuss or cajoling. We don’t think this is much different to what students need. Over the weekend and using Phase Vision’s file, we were able to produce 3D models of Bluebird by additive rapid prototyping on the HPDesignjet and subtractive rapid prototyping on a Roland MDX40A with Visual Toolpath software. The object of the exercise with
Tim Elderton (second from right) and the Bluebird Team at Pendine
Sands. Tim, a former D&T teacher, reminds teachers at the start of a challenging new academic year: “They are up with the best.”
Technology in Education No.185 September 2011 24
the Bluebird Team and Phase Vision was to demonstrate the means by which Bluebird’s development might continue. For us it provided a fascinating opportunity to test the software and equipment we supply to schools alongside leaders in the field.
’ Circle No.E14 Check out our website:
www.technology-in-education.co.uk
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