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Growing up I would have these RC Car, they had the cover which eiher a cover of a truck or any brand of cars, I could take this cover off and then change the batteries of the rc car or just check the components.

These covers came with the car, had an elastic plastic form and were quite strong

Moving to my question.

What process are those covers made ? molding or the other options.

I have built my own rc car and looking for a place I can order my own customized cover for the car.

The design of the cover, I made myself.

I have tried 3d printing but to be honest I am not really happy with the results, due to the fact that I have to use sandpaper to smoothen it and it is quite heavy.

E199504
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1 Answers1

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Many/most radio control vehicle bodies are formed by using a vacuum forming mechanism. A buck is created, the shape to match the body, placed on a perforated surface. A sheet of thin plastic is heated and placed over the buck, simultaneous with applying vacuum to the perforated surface.

This action draws the softened plastic around the buck. In a few moments, the plastic is cooled, the vacuum is released and the sheet is trimmed from the desired shape.

If you have a makerspace in your area, you may discover someone with a vacuum forming machine. They are reasonably easy to construct and can use an ordinary shop or house vacuum. The heating of the plastic sheet can be more difficult without a specially constructed device, but there are YouTube videos showing people who use household ovens and hot air guns to soften the plastic.

vacuum forming machine

The above image is a hand-made device currently offered on eBay and serves as a representative sample of a vacuum forming machine. Not shown is the heating system.

A more sophisticated DIY version can be found on Instructables. There are quite a few DIY options on that site, most of which include references for the heating portion.

fred_dot_u
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