Ramp Track Background

Recently, while tinkering with Intelino, I felt the need—the need for speed. So, I designed, 3D printed, and implemented a new ramp track to satisfy my high-adrenaline Intelino desires. I created this track to mimic the official Intelino product while improving the design for high-speed applications. The main design consideration for this project was to descend two levels in less distance than the original Intelino track descended one. This would hopefully create the thrilling Intelino experience I was after.

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Design Challenges

While designing the model, I realized that my measurements for the track would exceed the build volume of our 3D printer. This obstacle, and my solution to it, added significant time to the design process. A common solution to this challenge is to split the 3D model into multiple pieces and then assemble the separate pieces after the printing process. This is the solution I implemented. Below is a screenshot of the finished model in SolidWorks.

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Intelino Ramp Track Model

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In hindsight, I may have been able to choose a better location for the split to reduce the printing time by a greater amount; however, my design printed successfully and was ready for testing. Note: you may notice the two-color nature of the track. This happened as a result of the yellow filament running out mid-print.

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As you may be able to observe from the video, the Intelino train engine is having trouble when it reaches the end of my 3D-printed ramp track. It appears I pushed the design too far, and my need for speed obstructed my need for a polished end product. My future iterations will be altered to allow for a smoother and longer transition when the slope of the track changes. This should remedy the bumpy and dangerous ramp exit.

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