Recently, David Kitson (46) from Stratton, Australia used an Up Mini 3D printer to convert a dilapidated gasoline-powered bicycle into a gasoline/electric hybrid bike.
Kitson found the bike in the rubbish at Christmas time. At first he simply repaired the car and hoped to enjoy the fun of the power bike. But the development of this bicycle has many problems. The most important thing is that its engine is two-stroke, which is relatively small, which means that Kitson has to carry fuel with the car. So he decided to give the bike a big upgrade, change its engine to four-stroke, and consider turning it into a hybrid.
Prior to this, Kitson once spent a lot of time with 3D printing mechanism to create the development of military night vision equipment and replaceable parts, so he knows he can directly use a 3D printer to create a small-sized engine components.
“So, in the process of conceiving a small-sized generator, I need to first create a flange that can accommodate both the electric motor and the petrol engine to see if it can make a small generator for a bicycle. Although there is such a market Machines can be bought, but those are too heavy," Kitson said.
Kitson conducted repeated experiments. He simulated the test components first, and then redesigned the results of the test. After a round of iterations, the parts produced were much better than expected. In the end he made a generator that was almost completely 3D printed.
“From a 3D perspective, this is almost a crazy art work, because at every stage I am constantly looking for ways to make the small UP Mini make huge parts, know that the UP Mini's maximum 3D print size is only 12 x 12 x 12 cm," Kitson said. UP Mini is a well-known 3D printer manufacturers Blantyre era launched an entry-level Desktop 3D printer products.
In the end, Kitson found that his 3D printed generators were cheaper in terms of manufacturing and cost of use, including fuel costs, more powerful power output, and a wider range of bicycle activities.
After that, Kitson didn't stop. He has been actively developing and updating his design. He has been testing for nearly 40 hours in the latest version. “This hybrid bike is very simple to maintain. It allows me to travel 25 kilometers to the office as fast as a public transport or self-driving vehicle, and the cost is only a small part of the latter two. Most importantly, this is not the case. Tired," Kitson said.
Of course, this 3D printed generator is not without problems. The most important thing is that because of its main ABS material, the heat transfer performance is obviously not as good as metal. How to solve the heat dissipation of the engine becomes a big problem. To solve this, Kitson designed a special passage to allow a large amount of airflow through the components to achieve cooling and cooling. He said that the discovery and resolution of a formal problem has led to the optimization of his system and components.
"From this perspective, my design development is gradually deepening." Kitson added, "In the beginning, I just wanted to play, and then I continued to encounter problems and solve problems until the project was completed. I realized that I was doing it. What did I do. At first I just wanted to get a system with hybrid power. Now I find that what I really want to do is find a new way to make a hybrid electric/gasoline bicycle. People can order it online. Print out the parts at home and then assemble them for a few hours.
In summary, in addition to the cores of internal combustion engines, electronics and generators - every part of Kitson's design is 3D printed, including the lever arm of the throttle control box, the air filter plate, the electronics housing panel and the generator housing.
For 3D printing of all parts, Kitson used a few hundred grams of black ABS 1.75 mm wire. He didn't count how long it took to print all the parts in 3D, only remember that the largest part was printed for 10 hours, while other parts usually took 2 or 3 hours to print, and because quality is not a problem, he Set the 3D printer to print quickly. According to his estimation, it takes about 3 days to complete the whole system with an UP Mini 3D printer if you start from scratch.
Kitson said that a hybrid bicycle like this can drive 50 kilometers of oil and it is also in compliance with traffic regulations. “The system is compliant with the EN15194 standard, so it should be legal in most countries of the world,†adds Kitson. “It also meets the safety standards and emission standards for small motors, so its application can go far beyond small bicycles.â€
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