MANY of us see building a car as a laborious process of hand-crafting parts and going through seemingly unending rounds of fitment by trial-and-error. However, the reality is that computers have revolutionised how cars can be built, with new technologies such as 3D scanning capable of radically improving the speed and accuracy of a build.
Three-dimensional scanning has been used across many industries since the early 2000s, including the aerospace, OE automotive, archaeological and medical fields, but now its use is exploding within the realms street machining and hot rodding. Big American companies like Dynacorn, Edelbrock, ICON 4x4, Ringbrothers, Art Morrison and Roadster Shop all use 3D scanning technology to develop parts.
The basic science of 3D scanning involves a machine running past an object and mapping its shape to build a digital 3D model of that object in the scanner’s software. This model can then be converted for use in computeraided design (CAD) programs like SolidWorks or Fusion 360. This saves huge time and massively improves accuracy when it comes to designing parts, as an engineer no longer has to custom-draw the model in the CAD software from scratch. A digital 3D model of an object can be created in just a few hours.
The 3D scanning process can be used to create models of full car bodies or frames, complete engines, and even the tiny gears used in a wristwatch (or vintage dash cluster). And the technology is rapidly evolving and improving every few months.
This story is from the Yearbook 2021 edition of Street Machine Magazine.
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This story is from the Yearbook 2021 edition of Street Machine Magazine.
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CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
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ANIKA HODGES
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STAGE FRIGHT
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THE Ummmal SUSPECT
FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT MINI-TRUCKS. THIS SUMMERNATS TOP 60 HILUX IS A PROPER STREET MACHINE
FULLY UTILISED
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CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
PEOPLE POWER
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OUT-AND-OUT MAYHEM
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BAD TO THE BONE
THANKS TO HIS SON, ANDY, THE LATE MARIO COLALILLO’S 39 PLYMOUTH COUPE IS BACK ON THE ROAD AND STILL ONE OF THE BADDEST HOT RODS IN THE COUNTRY
THE CHALLENGE IS REAL
FROM TRACK DRAMAS TO SOARING TEMPERATURES, DRAG CHALLENGE 2024 THREW US SOME OF ITS TOUGHEST TESTS YET, BUT IT ALSO BROUGHT SOME OF THE QUICKEST TIMES THE EVENT HAS EVER SEEN
