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Eli Lewis
Eli Lewis · elilewis2029@u.northwestern.edu · elilewisportfolio.info/projects/snap-together-car-kit

Design & craft · 2024

Snap-together electric car kit for a kids' build party

Six printed parts, a motor and a battery pack: a kit designed so 16 kids could assemble a working car in minutes and spend the rest of the time customizing it

A finished car in a participant's hands: printed chassis and hubs, cardboard wheels, motor and battery pack

A finished car in a participant's hands: printed chassis and hubs, cardboard wheels, motor and battery pack

A finished car in a participant's hands: printed chassis and hubs, cardboard wheels, motor and battery pack

A modular 3D-printed car kit I designed in Fusion 360 for a maker-themed birthday party, then reused in my after-school makerspace. The first version I'd built had kids spending the whole session assembling; this one assembles in a few steps so the time goes to making it their own.

Role
Solo

I was responsible for the whole thing: client communication with the parent, budget and timeline, CAD, printing, the wheel system and running the build session.

Duration
2022 (v1), 2024 (v2)
Tools
fusion-360, fdm-3d-printing
Skills
design-for-assembly, human-centered-design, user-testing, teaching, project-planning

Goal & constraints

  • Assemble into a driving car with no instructions and no adult help, for kids around 8–10.
  • Cheap enough to print and kit for 16 participants on a parent's budget.
  • Leave most of the session for customization, not assembly.

Process

  • Cut the base to six printed parts plus batteries, battery pack and motor; everything press-fits or snaps.
  • Designed pop-on wheel hubs so kids could cut their own wheels from cardboard and glue them to the hubs.
  • Modeled LEGO-compatible studs into the chassis so decorations attach without glue or mess.
  • Printed a kit per child, wrote a parts list and ran the build session (photo 2).
The printed parts for every kit laid out before the party: wheel hubs, discs and chassis pieces

The printed parts for every kit laid out before the party: wheel hubs, discs and chassis pieces

The printed parts for every kit laid out before the party: wheel hubs, discs and chassis pieces
A kit per child, bagged and ready on the table

A kit per child, bagged and ready on the table

A kit per child, bagged and ready on the table
Build session at the party: snapping the chassis and motor together

Build session at the party: snapping the chassis and motor together

Build session at the party: snapping the chassis and motor together

Result

16 participants in one build session

Before and after

After
Finished, customized cars

Finished, customized cars

Finished, customized cars
After
A customized car: cardboard wheels on the pop-on hubs, decorations on the LEGO-compatible studs

A customized car: cardboard wheels on the pop-on hubs, decorations on the LEGO-compatible studs

A customized car: cardboard wheels on the pop-on hubs, decorations on the LEGO-compatible studs
After
Finished car and its builder

Finished car and its builder

Finished car and its builder

What I’d change

[TODO: what I'd change]

Print this page for a PDF copy (photos shrink to fit).

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