Recently, renowned U.S. YouTuber rctestflight (Daniel) successfully completed an exciting project using the Flashforge Guider 3 Ultra – building the world’s fastest R/C snowmobile! The video of this project has garnered millions of views and thousands of likes on YouTube, showcasing the incredible advantages of 3D printing in personalized manufacturing. The high-precision printing capabilities of the Guider 3 Ultra helped meet the mechanical performance and assembly accuracy requirements of the snowmobile, providing strong technical support for the project’s success.
Challenges and Innovation
"I’m starting from scratch and completely ditching the gear-driven power system with electric skateboard motors. They have significant torque, meaning they can typically be used with very small gear reducers, or even drive directly in the case of hub motors."
– Daniel, rctestflight
"Creative customization for maximum speed" was the core design concept of this snowmobile project, meaning that every part needed to be highly tailored. This posed huge challenges for the strength, stability, and precision fitting of the snowmobile’s body structure. The Guider 3 Ultra rose to the occasion, printing a wide range of complex and critical parts, including the motor protective shell, body sidewalls, axle brackets, and wheels.
Innovative Design, Rapid Production
Daniel completely abandoned the traditional gear-driven system and opted for highly customized electric skateboard motors. With the help of 3D printing, Guider 3 Ultra quickly produced most of the required structural parts, including:
(Motor protective shell)
(Body sidewall shell)
These parts, featuring holes, curved surfaces, and gears, needed to be printed with extreme precision to ensure perfect fitting between components – such as the motor axle and bracket, wheels and rolling axles, or screws and screw holes – ensuring overall stability and coordination. Guider 3 Ultra was chosen by Daniel as the printing device for all parts, marking his first experience using a 3D printer. Featuring a Core XY structure, it offers enhanced printing precision and stability at high speeds, ensuring top-quality 3D printed parts. Plus, its flexible steel plate platform makes it easy to remove finished models, saving time and effort.
Practical Application: No Post-Processing, Direct Assembly
(Assembly Process Diagram)
During the entire assembly process, parts printed with the Guider 3 Ultra required little to no post-processing and were ready for assembly right away. The snowmobile's drive comes from two round motors, which need protection. From a mechanical perspective, Daniel’s design incorporated curved shell covers that could withstand greater impact forces, which was quite a challenge for the 3D printer. Thanks to Guider 3 Ultra’s stable printing performance, each layer was precisely aligned, ensuring accurate bonding between layers. This not only guaranteed the parts’ impact resistance but also ensured the smooth and refined finish of the curved surfaces.
Racing Through the Snow
After precise printing and assembly, the snowmobile performed exceptionally well during real-world testing. All the 3D printed parts from the Guider 3 Ultra fit perfectly, allowing the snowmobile to glide smoothly without any issues, showcasing excellent stability and high performance.
(Racing Through the Snow)
Conclusion: A New Era of Custom Manufacturing
The Guider 3 Ultra was the key tool in Daniel’s success in building the world’s fastest R/C snowmobile, and it highlights the immense potential of 3D printing technology in personalized manufacturing, rapid production, and cost-saving. This collaboration has further confirmed our belief that 3D printing can open up limitless possibilities for all types of custom projects.
Contact with Flashforge
Do you have an amazing 3D printing story you’d like to share? We’d love to hear it and showcase our shared experiences! Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at mkt2@flashforge.com.
