Ford Ranger Rear Bumper Prototype

Nick — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 21:30:34 +0000

The first prototype part for our offshoot business collaboration, R-Spec, has been designed and 3D printed using the 3D scans we produced a few weeks ago. My business partner Michael has had this Ford Ranger part in mind for quite some time and has already produced a few parts for his Ranger in his garage from fibreglass. As a proof of concept I thought this bumper would be perfect for developing a 3D scanning/modelling/printing workflow for the business.

Ford Rangers are sold all over the world and are a good looking vehicle. Consequently there are many who have taken to modifying them for looks and performance including Michael.

The 3D printing process took around 35 hours total for all seven parts using the super-speed print setting I’ve developed. The individual pieces were then epoxy glued together as they came off the printers.

The fitment was very close to perfect. The length was right on the money leaving a perfect panel gap. The face of the bumper sat around 5mm proud of the rear quarters so we’ll need to take material away in the design. The number plate needs some extra room to fit properly which can be easily fixed by angling the recess slightly higher than it currently sits.

Successful test fit of the Ford Ranger custom rear bumper design prototype.

We’ve decided to add a few additions to the design after seeing it on the vehicle such as a vertical upright section that covers the spare wheel access hole with a removable cover piece. Openings for the number plate lights are also needed.

The next step is to make the changes mentioned to the 3D model and 3D print another prototype to confirm we have something ready for mass-production. Once we’re satisfied that we have a perfectly fitting and quality model we’ll search for a manufacturer, hopefully locally, to produce the finished product. In the meantime the admin part of this business needs working out. Web domains have been locked down as well as Facebook and Instagram profiles.

It’s encouraging to see that this workflow can be successful for a small business and we now have high hopes! We’ll keep you posted on the progress of the part.

Until next week…

Gallery - Ranger Rear Bumper Prototype Test

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More Experiments With A 3D Scanner

Nick — Tue, 31 May 2022 21:30:36 +0000

Those people who subscribe to our newsletter will have seen a sneak preview last month of what we’ve been up to with the 3D scanner. My old friend Michael and I have been interested in creating our own parts for our cars and so we’ve decided to have a go at building a business from it.

He’s been playing with fibreglass, making parts the old fashioned way which is time consuming, inaccurate and messy, so I suggested that I’d buy a relatively cheap 3D scanner and use it, along with the tools and skills I’ve acquired working as an engineer, to help create the parts. It is then possible to either produce 3D printed molds that maintain accuracy and create parts ourselves or outsource the manufacturing process.

Scanning a fibreglass car part.

One of many possible logos for the new business.

The plan is to get our cars scanned into the computer and use the resultant 3D models as a guide to create our own custom parts. So far we have scanned the Lannix Design BMW E92 and Michael’s Ford Ranger.

The BMW will eventually be used on the racetrack so the plan for it is to produce an air duct for the front guard that vents hot air out of the wheel well. Utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to assess the expected air flow, we can hopefully come up with something that works efficiently and as intended. The outlet duct will be used in conjunction with inlet ducting in the front bumper, both of which will be 3D printed and tested on the track before going into production.

The Ranger parts are more of a cosmetic upgrade which will set it apart from the thousands of other Rangers on the roads. Modifying them is quite a big scene in countries like Thailand and Malaysia.

The BMW and the Ranger have been chosen for their worldwide popularity. The BMW in particular is one of the few rear-drive cars left where the price of them hasn’t gone crazy like a lot of Australian and Japanese cars that have been traditionally modified among enthusiasts.

We are still in the early stages of creating products ready for market and time has become a far more valuable commodity around here with the arrival of our son Emmet in early May. I have been concentrating more on getting an online store up and running and keeping on top of the design projects for customers and in-house but this is always on my mind! Between changing nappies and trying to spend time with my partner, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Also, buying a house looks to be in the near future! Damn…

Stay tuned for more about R-Spec in our socials!

Til next week…

Ford Ranger – Lannix Design

Ford Ranger Rear Bumper Prototype

Gallery - Ranger Rear Bumper Prototype Test

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More Experiments With A 3D Scanner

Gallery - More Experiments With 3D Scanning

See more of our work