Design stage

So many people ask me " Hey Devin, how do you design these things?". Well, I cant explain the whole process, but it mostly focuses around magic. Oh, and there is this stuff below.

Step 1.) Research
Before we even begin anything, we do tons of research. We identify the weak spots in cars run previously by us and other teams and areas to improve on. We then conceptualize on ways to improve these areas.

We think about weight, cost, manufacturability, performance, durability, and tons of other stuff. Basically, there is no perfect design. There are tons of variables, and in many cases, improving for one variable means sacraficing on another.

Step 2.) Concept
After we identify weak spots and look into ways to modify, we come up with concept ideas that we present to one another. Many times, this step is skipped and we go right into design since we are on such a time crunch. But if we do get the chance to do this, it usually helps. Generally, the first design is not always the best.

Step 3.) More research
Once we have a concept, we have to then make it apply to the car. We research materials, strength, performance, and just about everything you can think of. This step involves lots of calculation, and can sometimes be overwhelming. You would be surprised how many factors go into making a car part work properly, let alone well.

Step 4.) Initial Design
After we have an idea, and it has been researched, we have to design it in a solid modeling program. We do this to make sure it fits, and so that we can design the rest of the car around it. We also do this so that we can use the solid model to build the part, whether by hand or on a CNC machine (computer controlled machine that makes something automatically based on computer programming).

Step 5.) Put it all togather and present
When a design if finished, we assemble the whole car on a computer. Every critical part is put in to make sure that everything will mate up correctly. We then present this to the team and get more input. Basically, we point out weak spots to improve on before we start making this.

Step 6.) Manufacturing
Once the car is modeled, we need to build it. This can be very difficult. It mostly depends on the design. If anyone has ever made anything, they know that you can not ever make something perfect. We have to take this into account when designing and building the car. With so many parts that work togather, one mis-alligned part can destroy the whole car.

Step 7.) Drive the damn thing
This is the funnest step, but also one of the most important. Once the car is built, we drive the hell out of it. Some of this is for fun, but mostly we do it for testing. We can tune some parts of the car for better performance, and we can also see week spots in the car that need to be fixed before it races.


These are the steps that we go through within 9 months to make a car. This process can be very time consuming and frustrating at times, but it is worth it when you get one of these cars about 10 feet in the air and it doesnt brake. I will try to post pictures of the design phase later on.