Event Spotlight: 3D Printed CO2 Dragster Derby
These questions were answered by the executive board of SUNY Poly’s 3D Print Club. The purpose of this article is to inform students of an exciting event that the 3D Print Club has planned. This event is open to all students, regardless of whether you are a member of the club or not. If you are interested in learning more about this event, or learning more about 3D Print Club, feel free to email Trevor Dunn, President of SUNY Poly’s 3D Print Club, at dunnta@sunypoly.edu.
The following questions were answered by Trevor Dunn (President):
1.) Do participants have to be a member of the 3D Printing Club?
Anyone can participate in the event as long as you’re a SUNY Poly student. While we encourage all our members to participate, a majority of students that participate come from a variety of different clubs and majors, each with their own design that they use to compete against each other.
2.) What would you say to an individual who is interested in participating, but is concerned about their lack of knowledge when it comes to 3D printing?
If you ever need help or have any questions you can always contact us through our club page on engage. We’ve helped multiple students in the past with designing and printing their cars for competition and we always love giving someone the opportunity to participate in our events regardless of experience.
The following questions were answered by Andrew Picini (Vice President):
3.) Can you go over the science of CO2 cars?
The pressure from the CO2 cartridges, when released, propels the car at a very high speed down the track. The pressure is expended extremely fast so the car is actually coasting for most of the track length, so you want the car to be as light as possible to get the most out of the propulsion force.
4.) How does the design for the CO2 cars differ from the design for the pinewood derby cars?
The Pinewood Derby cars were smaller in size and should be heavier in weight. For CO2, the cars are much longer, at least twice the length of a Pinewood car, and should weigh a lot less. The heavier Pinewood cars are driven (no pun intended) by the potential energy equation, while the CO2 cars are driven by the kinetic energy equation. For the competition, I'm expecting to see a lot more aerodynamic-focused designs due to the high speeds that the cars are traveling at. Pinewood cars tended not to be designed around aerodynamics too much because of how important the weight was.
The following questions were answered by Jordan Dean (Secretary):
5.) What safety measures will be put in place at the event?
We have been working closely with SUNY Poly's Director of Environmental Health and Safety, Sean Clive. The main safety concerns are the CO2 canisters and that CO2 cars are known to break on the track, so everyone is required to wear safety glasses.
6.) Where can individuals find the rules and regulations for the event? What are the most important rules and regulations that must be followed?
Individuals can find the rules and regulations for the event on engage: 3D Printing Club, 3D Printed CO2 Dragster Derby.
The most important things regarding the rules and regulations of the cars themselves; if you do not follow the dimensions/rules/regulations given that could cause a problem when it comes to running them on the track. They could just not run, or even may be a safety hazard. So, please follow the rules and regulations posted on engage. We will have an unbiased individual around so, if a car doesn't follow rules and regulations, they will have last say on if the car is allowed to compete or not.
The following questions were answered by Robert Dresher (Treasurer):
7.) What is the prize breakdown for the event? How many total winners will there be?
There will be prizes for the first, second and third place winners of the race. The prizes will be given out as Amazon gift cards.
1st place - $150
2nd place - $125
3rd place - $100
There will also be bonus prizes with a reward of $25 dollars each. These prizes are secret and will be announced at the end of the competition.
8.) How do individuals go about submitting a car for the competition?
Anyone can submit a car by either coming down to the 3D print lab located on the bottom floor of Donovan Hall or emailing cgam_3dprinting@sunypoly.edu. One can bring down their car designs to the lab or send them via email. In the email, one should specify the weight and color of their car, as well as any other special requests or details. If someone has any questions about designing or printing a car, one can come down to the lab or send an email for help or questions.
We would also like the thank all our co-hosts, clubs, organizations, professors and students that made this possible. We would not be able to run this event without all of your help.
Clubs/Orgs recognition:
- Society of Automotive Engineers Baja Club
- Women in Engineering Club
- Music Club
- The Factory Times
- Wildcat Media
- WEB (Wildcat Events Board)
- CFB (Club Funding Board)
- SGU (Student Government at Utica)
Image obtained from Squarespace
