Category Archives: Scale Model Projects

Model Making Process, Scale Model Projects

Cutaway Scale Model for Training

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cutaway model

Our client, FMC Technologies, requested a working model of a gate valve that would assist with maintenance training. Talking with model maker, Scott, it was determined that the best way to serve this purpose would be with a 1/2 scale cutaway model that would pull apart and reveal interior components that could be manipulated. Once the general concept was agreed upon, our team discussed the build in general, and the associated costs and time frame, and a detailed quote was written up.

cutaway model

Once the job was awarded, model makers Mike, Dean and Scott came up with a plan of action including a list of materials, fabrication techniques and assemblies, along with a break down of each task and its associated steps. The over all design of the model would include an exterior shell opening and closing with the use of magnets, a working wheel that would move the gate up and down, and numerous interior pieces that could be assembled and reassembled.

cutaway model

FMC provided 3D geometry which was used to create the various parts of the model. Some parts were 3D printed.

3D printed model part

Others were formed from  machined  tooling board. An aluminum rod with threads was created on the CNC lathe. Metal gate sleeves were formed on a press brake, and some off-the-shelf hardware was added as well. As parts were formed, they were attached to each other as required. Magnets were imbedded in the outer shell.

model making

model maker

Most of the parts were then primed and painted. Various bright colors were used for the individual parts to enhance the training process.

scale model

The whole model was assembled and disassembled multiple times to assure its functionality and durability. The wheel was tested to make sure it moved the gate up and down on the rod correctly. The model was taken for professional photography, then carefully packed and shipped to Canada to our esteemed client.

Click Here for a slideshow of the model build on YouTube.cutaway model

Scale Model Projects

Giveaway Truck Models

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Recently KiwiMill was asked to make reasonably priced multiples of a truck model to be used as giveaway premiums for special clients. The trucks are used to spray weed control substance on railway beds. The trucks actually ride on the rails in order to do so.

In order to keep costs down, our model makers used two different types of off-the-shelf die-cast truck models that were then “kit bashed” or disassembled for parts. The chassis was taken off one truck and the cab off another.

Custom parts were  3D printed, laser cut and machined out of resin. Each truck model was then hand-built and painted to resemble the Rumble Spray Truck.

Model Making Process, Scale Model Projects

Model Maker’s How-to: Casting Cars

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KiwiMill model makers recently designed a car model to be used for a sales display. The models will be used to showcase automotive paints for Hyundai. We chose to cast these from a carved resin master made from our original computer drawings.

A generic car body was created in Rhino 3D by one of our designers.

A  CNC milled resin master was created from this drawing.

CNC router model car

A negative mold  of the core was made from the master.

mold for casting car model

 

 This core was inserted in the mold to create a hollow space in the cars when cast.

mold for casting car model

 Three molds were made to cast the cars.

mold for casting model cars

pressure pot for casting model cars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                The molds were put in a pressure pot for a smooth cast.

pressure pot for casting model cars

 

130 castings were created.

casr model cars

The bottoms of the casts were sanded smooth.

grinding car model

 The resulting cars will be painted various colors by our client, but here is one we painted.

 cast model car

Scale Model Projects, Types of Models

Product Design Case Study

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KiwiMill and its product design division, kiwiseed, worked together to make a medical device used for thyroid analysis.

Our industrial design department worked on concept sketches, form studies, user testing and 3D CAD drawings for prototyping and manufacturing.

Our model makers  created the prototypes, 3D printed the design and then molded and cast this low volume production line. Metal work detail was done with the help of CLAD, an in-house partner company. KiwiMill’s electronics team applied the finishing touches.

This truly was a “one stop” product design service provided for our client, Dhurjaty Electronics.

 

 

 

Model Making Process, Scale Model Projects

3D Printed Part Transformed

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At KiwiMill we use 3D printed parts to make some of our models, depending on the design and purpose of the project.

3D printed part for model

For a recently made MATV military vehicle, the doors were 3D printed out of plastic with handle,  hinge and window details. The part was grown over night in the 3D printer, taken out and cleaned up.

3D printed scale model part

The part was then primed, painted and given additional details.

military model

Here is the door on the completed MATV vehicle. The printed part blends in with all the other materials that were used to complete this model. Our model maker chose soldered and braised brass for most of the model for the strength and endurance necessary in a trade show piece.

Scale Model Projects, Shop News

Progression of a NASA Spacecraft Model

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The following pictorial shows the progression of a NASA spacecraft model build:

 

From the NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission  website:

“The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission is a Solar Terrestrial Probes mission comprising four identically instrumented spacecraft that will use Earth’s magnetosphere as a laboratory to study the microphysics of three fundamental plasma processes: magnetic reconnection, energetic particle acceleration, and turbulence. These processes occur in all astrophysical plasma systems but can be studied in situ only in our solar system and most efficiently only in Earth’s magnetosphere, where they control the dynamics of the geospace environment and play an important role in the processes known as ‘space weather.'”

Scale Model Projects, Shop News

Honda Aircraft Site Model

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site model

Just Shipped:  A  site model of the Honda Aircraft Headquarters, Research, and Production facility in  Greensboro, North Carolina, located at Piedmont Triad International Airport. This facility is home to the new HondaJet personal aircraft, scheduled for shipment in early 2012.

The site model, along with the aircraft itself, was unveiled this week at the OshKosh AirVenture Show .

The design of this particular site model was driven by our client’s request for exceptional attention to detail. To achieve this, our model makers were given  a multitude of data: aerial views, autoCAD drawings, PDF’s, ground level pictures and exact measurements for items such as:

  • air conditioning ducts
  • generators
  • HVAC units on the roof of the buildings
  • cooling towers

The scale of the model 1″:40′ was very small, which contributed to the over all impact of the finished product.

Take a look:

Scale Model Projects

Scale Model of Innovative Shelter for Rapid Response

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When response is needed quickly, SAIC’s Expandable Shelter System  (ESS) is the solution for military, homeland security, law enforcement and commercial use. It’s a self-standing, self-contained, rugged and secure entry shelter that transports readily by rail, ship, aircraft or vehicle. Shippable and stackable at 8×20 ft, it expands to 20×24 ft, with approximately 400 square feet of space inside. It’s a space that can adapt and reconfigure to multiple uses such as communications center, field kitchen, medical facility or sleeping quarters. Each unit allows for self-sufficient electrical power, climate control and satellite communications. Multiple units can be strung together.

KiwiMill was given the task of building the scale model for this superior-designed shelter system. The scale model was built in  1/8 scale using sheet metal, acrylic and brass hinges for the main body with the addition of ren board, ABS plastic, brass tubing and evergreen strips for the generator. The key feature of this model is its functionality. It operates much like the real thing, doors opening and the shelter expanding in the same fashion as the actual shelter.

Scale Model Projects, Shop News

Model with Working Parts

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Our model makers have shipped out the asphalt plant model with working parts. Seven feet tall, with functionality, this model simulates the movements of an asphalt plant. Doors and chutes that operate in the real plant with hydraulic cylinders have been mimicked using 12v electric linear actuators. Augers and buckets in a real plant that run on gear motors have been simulated using miniature gear motors.

 

Model Making Process, Scale Model Projects, Shop News

Welding as a Model Making Tool

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model maker weldingOne fabrication technique that is not often associated with model making is welding. While styrene plastic and glue are staples of some model designs, many more are made out of metal for stability, longevity and appearance. One way to fasten metal model parts to each other is by welding, or a similar technique: soldering. While not every model maker is skilled in this trade, it’s helpful to have the training and equipment on hand in a professional model shop.

Welding is the process of bonding parts together by applying heat to two pieces of metal and melting them together along with a filler material to form a strong joint when cooled. Soldering is similar but does not actually melt the work pieces themselves, only the filler material between them which has a lower melting point, thus requiring less heat application.

Types of models that may need welding or soldering application vary. If a model needs to hold up to heavy handling by the client it might be considered a good candidate for brass, sheet metal or stainless steel. A more delicate material would not hold up to rigorous use.  As with most models, the purpose or intended use informs the materials and fabrication techniques involved.

Currently KiwiMill has two models in the shop that required welding. One is a large-scale model of an asphalt plant and the other is a model of an expandable shipping container. One of our model makers has apprenticed with another in-house master welder to complete these projects.

model maker welding

Scale Model Projects

A Big Asphalt Plant Industrial Model

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Today when I looked around the shop for the model maker‘s latest project, my eyes scanned the work tables for something small in scale. I couldn’t find anything. Where was the model?

It was staring at me at eye level, not on a table, but sitting on the floor.

It’s a seven foot tall industrial model of an asphalt plant. It will have all working parts. Anything that functions in an asphalt plant will be represented with moving parts on the scale model.

Why so large? Well the client has his can’t-be-divulged reasons for wanting this industrial model and the specific scale it is being built in. It makes for a great project in the shop. Take a look at some pictures of the job in progress: