School Engineering Project

S

SRQ-Runner

New member
3D Printed Cup Holder: School Project

**January 27, 2015 Update**​

Sorry for not posting here in a while. I never mounted up the cup holder as I really wasn’t pleased with the design and I didn’t want to go drilling up my console knowing that I was going to go back and re design it anyways. So I went back and re-designed almost the entire cup holder. I increased the size of the cup holders and made the entire thing slightly longer (this shouldn’t affect leg room at all). I also went ahead and hollowed everything out so that it isn’t a 5lb brick anymore. I was really excited about the new design and even got some white material so it wouldn’t be in blue again. With everything how I wanted it, yesterday I decided to go print it and....

…the printer won’t connect to the computer for some reason. Gotta love school equipment. But hopefully we will have it figured out in the next few days and I'll get it printed up, I’ll be sure to keep you updated. I'll try and post a picture of the new design tomorrow when I get into engineering class. I think it will work a lot better and is more practical production wise. I know some of you are interested in one and it’s taken a long time to even get to this point, but I rather spend more time now on making a perfect product then having problems with the usability down the road. Because I know none of you would be happy with the first prototype, but that is all part of the process and I’m positive you all with be happier with a new design.

3D printing this for others would be very costly and I can’t use the school printer for selling purposes. So I most likely will have the final design sent out to get molded or something so that they can be sold at a decent price. Obviously that is further down the road and I have plenty of time to think about what I want to do as I don’t even have a final design yet, oopps.

Thank you for your patients and I will definitely have a final product done by the end of April because that is when my project is due for my class.

Have a good day,
Matt





ORIGINAL POST:
Hey T4R members,

With it being my senior year in high school, I have entered into the final engineering class offered at my school. Our project for the year is to desgin and build a product which could be marketed and sold. We have to follow the desgin process just like a engineer would do in the real world. I've been brainstorming a few ideas and I would love to desgin a product that would benefit T4R members. I know there must be some kind of part that you guys have wished you could buy.

So what I am asking you guys is, do you have any ideas for a product that you wish someone made, so that you could buy it? Like a part that would be helpful? Or a modification that would benefit your build? Or even just a cool cosmetic part that would add some style to your 4runner. I'm open to all suggestions and there really isnt any limitations on the size of the final product. I just wanted to here some ideas that you guys may have.

I will be working on the project all year, going form brainstorming ideas, to desgining a prototype on 3D software, and then constructing a full size product. I would love to keep you guys informed on my progess if the product pertains to 4runners or T4R members.

UPDATE:
Cup Holder Desgin:






Thanks for the help,
Matt
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
SRQ-Runner said:
Hey T4R members,

With it being my senior year in high school, I have entered into the final engineering class offered at my school. Our project for the year is to desgin and build a product which could be marketed and sold. We have to follow the desgin process just like a engineer would do in the real world. I've been brainstorming a few ideas and I would love to desgin a product that would benefit T4R members. I know there must be some kind of part that you guys have wished you could buy.

So what I am asking you guys is, do you have any ideas for a product that you wish someone made, so that you could buy it? Like a part that would be helpful? Or a modification that would benefit your build? Or even just a cool cosmetic part that would add some style to your 4runner. I'm open to all suggestions and there really isnt any limitations on the size of the final product. I just wanted to here some ideas that you guys may have.

I will be working on the project all year, going form brainstorming ideas, to desgining a prototype on 3D software, and then constructing a full size product. I would love to keep you guys informed on my progess if the product pertains to 4runners or T4R members.

Thanks for the help,
Matt
Click to expand...
-Satoshi grill w FJ Cruiser "Toyota" emblem. I'm waiting for bondo touch ups to dry now on the one I'm making for my 3rd gen but I would have preferred to buy one. Good luck!
 
The mud flaps are a great idea actually ^^^

If it were me though I would design filler covers for the rear toneau cover that I removed. It is simple and then you can focus on refining it for a good grade lol. I usually take the easiest route though, which is pretty much engineering 101 lol.

Do you know where you are going to go to college yet? I am a senior in mechanical engineering up at UW-Platteville.

Problem in the upper right:

IMG_7529.jpg
 
What about a roof rack with a tire carrier that sat on a guide track and could slide off the roof (while still attached) for easy spare tire removal from the roof. Ive never seen anything like this (Ive looked all over) but I think this would be awesome for those who carry their tire up top.
 
MTD said:
The mud flaps are a great idea actually ^^^

If it were me though I would design filler covers for the rear toneau cover that I removed. It is simple and then you can focus on refining it for a good grade lol. I usually take the easiest route though, which is pretty much engineering 101 lol.

Do you know where you are going to go to college yet? I am a senior in mechanical engineering up at UW-Platteville.

Problem in the upper right:

IMG_7529.jpg
Click to expand...

Right now I'm looking at the University of Central Florida for civil engineering. But I'm not locked in on anything yet. Sorry I'm a little confused why you have a whole there lol. What exactly was there?
 
americancliche said:
What about a roof rack with a tire carrier that sat on a guide track and could slide off the roof (while still attached) for easy spare tire removal from the roof. Ive never seen anything like this (Ive looked all over) but I think this would be awesome for those who carry their tire up top.
Click to expand...

That would be pretty cool. But my school has no welding equipment. Don't ask my why, but for some reason my school doesn't have any. Even thought it has engineering classes.
 
This sounds like a neat project. I don't have any ideas right away, but I'm definitely interested in following your progress.
 
SRQ-Runner said:
Right now I'm looking at the University of Central Florida for civil engineering. But I'm not locked in on anything yet. Sorry I'm a little confused why you have a whole there lol. What exactly was there?
Click to expand...

It is where the mounts were for the toneau cover that came with the truck. I had to remove the mounts because they were in the way of my hatch on my cargo box. Plus they look stupid with the mounts there with never using the cover lol.

4runner-cargo-cover-820x340.jpg
 
I see a lot of engineering students always going to metal bumpers and skids and stuff. I say think outside the box and do something cool in plastic that anyone could have printed from companies like Amazon, Office Depot, Etc that offer 3D printing services. If you came up with a cool part, you could upload your drawings to these companies sites, then when people buy them, you get a percentage of the money for owning the drawing, and they are the ones who have to make and ship the part. Once the drawing and prototypes are made and tested, you are basically hands off and get money for your intellectual property. You have to do a little marketing of the product, but that's it. That's the best way to make great passive income off of your ideas without having to deal with making parts, inventory, shipping, payment or anything.

Come up with something we would all want in our 4runners on the inside... I know the Velcro for my scan gauge keeps coming up and it would be cool if someone made a decent mount that is for my 4runner that will work all the time. Or maybe a CB radio mount... There aren't any good 4runner specific switch mounting locations made (see Baddit Runners build for something he came up with). There are a ton of options for cool add on's that can be designed and proto-typed for cheap!
 
MTD said:
It is where the mounts were for the toneau cover that came with the truck. I had to remove the mounts because they were in the way of my hatch on my cargo box. Plus they look stupid with the mounts there with never using the cover lol.

4runner-cargo-cover-820x340.jpg
Click to expand...
Oh okay I see now! Sorry I didn't understand. There was never one I my T4R so I was a little confused. Are they commonly seen on others trucks? Like do others have the same problem as you?
 
Guys, even though I do not have a 3rd Gen, let me interject something here:
This is a young man, in high school, doing his first "engineering" project. I'm quite sure that the documented process for the design and manufacture is much more important than the actual product. If I were you guys and wanted to help I would try to think of maybe some small interior or exterior bits that would be relatively inexpensive to build, use common materials that can be found at a big box store and manufacturing methods that are not complex. I for one would like to have an additional storage pocket for my 5th gen TE. It could be mounted right to the side of the center console.

Kid, I have been doing what you want to do for the past 25 years. PM me if you have any questions and I will be glad to advise. MechEng by degree and have designed high pressure mobile hydraulic systems for most of that time. With that said, don't any of you wahoos pm me with log splitter or tractor pto questions lol.
 
MojaveMadMan said:
I see a lot of engineering students always going to metal bumpers and skids and stuff. I say think outside the box and do something cool in plastic that anyone could have printed from companies like Amazon, Office Depot, Etc that offer 3D printing services. If you came up with a cool part, you could upload your drawings to these companies sites, then when people buy them, you get a percentage of the money for owning the drawing, and they are the ones who have to make and ship the part. Once the drawing and prototypes are made and tested, you are basically hands off and get money for your intellectual property. You have to do a little marketing of the product, but that's it. That's the best way to make great passive income off of your ideas without having to deal with making parts, inventory, shipping, payment or anything.

Come up with something we would all want in our 4runners on the inside... I know the Velcro for my scan gauge keeps coming up and it would be cool if someone made a decent mount that is for my 4runner that will work all the time. Or maybe a CB radio mount... There aren't any good 4runner specific switch mounting locations made (see Baddit Runners build for something he came up with). There are a ton of options for cool add on's that can be designed and proto-typed for cheap!
Click to expand...

I could defintely create something for the enterior of the truck. We have a 3D printer at the school and I'm pretty good with Autodesk Inventor which is a 3D modeling systems. SO if anyone has some cool interior ideas that would be great.
 
I've been thinking if finding a old sound bar from a jeep and some how mounting it in the hatch area for tailgating and what not. Maybe u could produce something like that
 
I've lurked here a long time, but never had anything to post. For an interior piece idea, you could build a panel that holds gauges in the center portion of the dash. This would be an alternative to mounting them on the a-pillar. When you have an aftermarket radio a lot of times there is an open space below or above the new radio that you might be able to fit two or three gauges. It would be simple and cheaper than the a-pillar mounts, it's a little in depth when you model it because you have to think of the curvature of the dash, how it will mount, and the drivers seating position so you can view the gauges completely. Then you could 3d print it depending on the size of your schools printer.

I have a mustang that people sell these for, but the center portion of my dash is completely square, so its really easy to just build a square panel. I think one for a 4runner would be more in depth. I don't think anyone makes these for the 4runner, so sorry in advance if this has been done. Below is an example of one on a mustang.

http://578e7a9bafc08e847f59-b21544d490ba797ec9de9d17e947de3d.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/lrs-04371c_1108.jpg
 
1engineer said:
Guys, even though I do not have a 3rd Gen, let me interject something here:
This is a young man, in high school, doing his first "engineering" project. I'm quite sure that the documented process for the design and manufacture is much more important than the actual product. If I were you guys and wanted to help I would try to think of maybe some small interior or exterior bits that would be relatively inexpensive to build, use common materials that can be found at a big box store and manufacturing methods that are not complex. I for one would like to have an additional storage pocket for my 5th gen TE. It could be mounted right to the side of the center console.

Kid, I have been doing what you want to do for the past 25 years. PM me if you have any questions and I will be glad to advise. MechEng by degree and have designed high pressure mobile hydraulic systems for most of that time. With that said, don't any of you wahoos pm me with log splitter or tractor pto questions lol.
Click to expand...

I think this is the best advice I have seen in here. I'm 2 years out of college for mech engineering, and a lot of these ideas would have been too much for a senior design project at a University!

OP, what kind of equipment/software do you have access to? 3d printers? Full machine shop? This will dictate a lot of what you'll actually be able to prototype. I would also think about what the average person has available to them when you are designing, since you likely won't be going into production to sell whatever you design.

Awesome idea to make something for a 4runner. I am also available if you have any questions.

Quick idea: I always wondered if it would be possible to make a hanging cup holder that would sit on the right side of the console for us 98 and earlier guys. I hate my factory cup holders and it would be great if I didn't have to replace my console to get a nicer one.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 348 (members: 2, guests: 346)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,304
Messages
3,554,041
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top