I have comments about this article.
● It is encouraging to see the creation of solid models of special interest vehicles. I would love to see the 56 Ford F100 recreated similarly.
● The students have drawn no stamped steel body parts so far. The representation of sheet metal body parts with compound curves is something taught in the Vehicle Design courses at Macomb Community College. I wonder if and when they get to that phase.
● I would imagine a number of the body parts are larger than can be produced on the rapid prototyping machine.
● HFCC or the Model T Heritage Complex may have some funding for this project.
● There is no mention of the brand of software used, SolidWorks, SolidEdge, ProEngineer, Inventor?
2006-10-30 TECH CENTER NEWS - WARREN, MICHIGAN
Warren Students Apply New Techniques to Old Car by Kyle Lohmeier, Staff Reporter
While the most modern technologies are applied to automotive design and manufacturing today, the automobile is not a new invention - a fact that’s been made remarkably clear to a handful of advanced drafting students in Richard Ranks’ drafting class at Lincoln High School in Warren, who have been drawing three-dimensional parts for the original Ford Model T using state-of-the-art techniques and parametric drafting software.
The program, sponsored by Henry Ford Community College and the Model T Automotive Heritage Complex, makes copies of Model T parts drawings available to area schools with the aim of eventually assembling a complete “virtual” Model T. “What the shop needs is front, top and right-side drawings for manufacturing. In para*metric, you design the part in 3D from the beginning, it’s flex*ible, you can make changes as you go in the sizes,” Ranks said, adding that the software will then create a two-dimensional drawing based on the three-di*mensional part. “It generates a 3D model ... They’re using state-of the-art techniques.”
The fully rendered three-di*mensional model created by the parametric software can then be used as the basis for a physical model part made via a stereo-lithography machine at the Warren Consolidated School District’s Career Tech Prep Center.
“I just e-mail him (teacher Jim Mandel) the parts, we e*mail the files to him, he puts them in the machine and a few hours later the part pops out a solid part,” Ranks said. “And that’s good for the students to be able to see that.”
So far, Ranks’ students have had prototype parts made of the crankshaft and reverse pedal of a Model T, based on their three-dimensional drawings which were based upon original blueprints nearly a century old in some cases. Creating parts using modern techniques from comparatively ancient automotive blueprints — there are few older in the industry — can be a bit daunting at times. For example, Ranks said the measurements are noted predominantly in fractions, not the decimal-places computers prefer. Fortunately, the teacher was able to enlist some expert help.
“We have the original prints from the Ford archives we’re working off of. When we run into the problem with the prints, because they’re all hand-drawn ... the guy from Motor City Antique Auto Supply, Sam Cipriano, he loans us the parts so the kids can see the actual parts.”
Presently, Ranks’ five third-year drafting students are working on drawings of a piston, connecting rod, rod cap and the various bolts and fasteners associated with those parts.
While pistons and crank-shafts have certainly evolved in the past century, Ranks said they’re more similar to Ford’s century-old components than not.
“They’re pretty much the same basic parts, although things are more engineered today I’d say,” Ranks said.
The SME has some forums relating to Stamping. I used to be very active in their Dies and Stamping Tech Group. You can look at the site at thois URL.
http://forums.sme.org/showthread.php?t=208
I collect information about automobile body stamping at my blog. I used to work at Twinsburg Stamping, a chrysler plant.
http://autobodymfg.blogspot.com/
I participate in a yahoogrops Stamping group.
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/grou...ently-withRMS/ 
Re: 3D Printers and RepRap project 
Linear Mode
