3D-printed RC car chassis: Makers develop modular diy design
Six months of development: From fragile prototype to durable rc chassis
The maker collective curv lab spent six months developing a fully 3D-printable chassis for RC cars. Early prototypes quickly exposed weaknesses: drivetrain components failed under load, the suspension geometry was poorly designed, and some parts even snapped during the first serious test runs. Those setbacks ultimately drove the next iterations. The result is a far more durable printable RC chassis capable of handling real-world testing.
Modular design: Replace broken parts instead of reprinting everything
Another standout feature is that parts of the system can be repaired easily. A good example is the suspension mounts, which can be replaced without having to reprint the entire chassis. This makes it easy to experiment with different shock absorber setups. Users can also print and attach their own custom designs.
PETG as the material of choice
The team selected PETG as the primary material—a plastic that offers a good balance between strength and flexibility while remaining easy to print. Some components exposed to higher stress had to be redesigned and reinforced. To achieve this, wall thicknesses and infill patterns were further optimized.
Drivetrain issues solved: GPM differentials replace plastic bearing mounts
The drivetrain turned out to be one of the trickiest challenges. In early versions, steel ball bearings quickly wore down or even destroyed the softer plastic bearing mounts. The solution was to replace heavily stressed parts with off-the-shelf steel components, including GPM differentials, which proved significantly more durable.
The drive shafts also caused problems early on, occasionally snapping under torsional load. The team solved this by changing the print orientation to a longitudinal alignment, which greatly increased the structural strength of the shafts.
Open-source project: Print files, parts lists, and assembly guide
Originally, all print files, assembly instructions, and parts lists were available for free. In the meantime, the team has started selling at least the printer files. The 3D files for the chassis—called the WR1—currently cost $35.
The package includes the STL/3MF files as well as a detailed 67-page build guide explaining how to assemble a complete 1/8-scale AWD RC rally chassis from scratch using a home 3D printer.
On the project website, the assembly instructions and a shopping list for all required additional parts still appear to be freely available. The team rates the build as beginner-level. Printing all parts is estimated to take around 17 hours, while the final assembly should take only about 1.5 hours.
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