STEM Racing: Designing

Painting

https://www.cybermodeler.com/tips/painting.shtml

Advanced CAD

Advanced CAD deserves mention

Extrude, Loft, Fillets are basic CAD

Zebra stripes reveal curvature singularities, especially where multiple surfaces converge. Ensure surfaces are tangent and aligned.

How do I get an HVAC company to design a cardboard wind tunnel for us

Quality Control

Use IRL Zebra stripes to identify defects https://www.jfe-tec.co.jp/en/product/surftridy01.html

Center of pressure must be before center of gravity, PLEASE

Center of thrust must be positioned to pass through center of mass

This reduces unnecessary torque on the craft and makes it easier to steer. In most cases, this happens naturally. You only need to adjust the center of thrust for complex, non-symmetrical vehicles.

https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Center_of_thrust

FEA-Analysis

FEA identifies the areas under the most stress during a frontal impact. This prevents breakage or deformation when the car slows down. After identifying weak areas, increase wall thickness on those components.

This would be great for the halo stuff

Reduce surface area by putting a ton of weight in 3D printed parts and wheel support (not wheels)

Still need to meet the minimum weight requirement, but this approach helps.

Use PCBWay

Mention that startups and hobbyists often use PCBWay so you got inspiration from them

Use PCBWay for 3D printing with technologies you don't have at school

Wind tunnel made from cardboard and 3D prints?

https://hackaday.com/2023/03/22/optimize-your-paper-planes-with-this-cardboard-wind-tunnel/ https://hackaday.com/2024/06/17/improving-wind-turbine-testing-with-a-better-air-source/ https://hackaday.com/2023/11/10/wind-tunnel-uses-the-last-straw/ https://hackaday.com/2022/10/01/diy-wind-tunnel-aims-to-educate-the-youth/

https://hackaday.com/2016/08/09/hackaday-prize-entry-non-computational-fluid-dynamics/ Heh, love the "non-computational"

CNC cut the car AFTER primer, to get as close as possible to the required tolerance.

Surface finish and effect on drag

Keep the surface smooth to reduce surface drag. This brings actual drag closer to estimates. Painting reduces surface drag. You can also modify the surface to induce turbulence.