Reducing the lead time of model car body designs

Rapid manufacture of light duty thermoforming molds has long been the goal of industry. This study represents the process for making chemically cured molds that could cut pre-production time to just several days. This project was to design a model car body to fit a radio controlled racing truck. This will be accomplished using a commercially available body fitted to a tenth scale on-road car. It will be digitized; then imported into a computer aided drafting system. The body can then be changed and redesigned to accommodate the characteristics of an off-road truck. A stereolithography part can then be made and mounted on a metal plate with vacuum connections so that it functions as a prototype mold. The bodies can then be formed from sheets of polycarbonate.