Roll cage built from cad model

admin

I just completed the first of 5 roll cages I'm building for a company that produces sportscars running in the American LeMans series in the US and the FIA GT series in Europe.  The cages are actually welded off the car on a fixture I built, then loaded into the chassis and welded in place.  The data for the cage was supplied as a 3D cad model showing the centerlines for all the tubes.  I made all the tubes from the cad model, including the notches, and it fit perfectly together like a puzzle.  The goal was to keep the positions of all the tubes and joints within 1/16" of where the cad model called out.Here is one picture:There a bunch of pictures in the gallery found here: http://tubularfab.com/Gallery/album17?page=1Last edited by TubularFab; 03-01-2007 at 08:44 PM.
Reply:Holy crap you're alive Jason!!!Ha ha ha...I haven't seen you on here in a long time. Looks like you're busy, that's great.The cage looks awesome. Nice work!!- Paulhttp://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:I have seen you site and love your work bud.Expect an email from me soon about some mandrel bending.I'm very impressed with your work. Looks great.Patriot Performance AutoLincoln Power Mig 255CLincoln AC-225 StickVictor Journeyman O/AQuincy QT-5 Compressor
Reply:Hello Paul - I haven't had a lot of time to spend on the computer since the start of the new year.  In that time I've finally been able to be at the shop full time, and I've been pretty busy ever since.  Hopefully I'll be checking in here a lot more often - but I've already got a huge backlog of posts to read through!Thanks for the compliments guys!Jason
Reply:Thats a crazy looking roll cage.  Why does it have a hump on top?  Pic makes it look sorta off center.Various GrindersVictor Journeyman torch200cf Acet. 250cf oxygenLincoln 175 plus/alpha2 gunLincoln v205t tigLincoln 350mpEsab 650 plasmaWhen you can get up in the morning, Its a good day.Live each day like its your last.
Reply:You get all the fun jobs......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Nice cage !...What's the material and welding process ? Lastly, any idea what specific ALMS cars the cages will be for ?-Graham-Mechanical EngineerAutosport Mechanic/Fabricator
Reply:Originally Posted by TubularFabThe data for the cage was supplied as a 3D cad model showing the centerlines for all the tubes.  I made all the tubes from the cad model, including the notches, and it fit perfectly together like a puzzle.  The goal was to keep the positions of all the tubes and joints within 1/16" of where the cad model called out.
Reply:Originally Posted by imagineerGot to love CAD!    Every project I take on, large or small, starts with a pencil sketch, followed up with preliminary CAD drawings.   Then after a month or two of obsessing about the details, I'll make a final set of drawings and start cutting/building/welding/etc!      I know I have O.C.D. (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) in regards to all the tiny details, but when every part fits they way it's supposed to and the final product looks exactly like the CAD model, I say so what?
Reply:very nice stuff I love chassis and susp work
Reply:Amazing joint fitup!  Really beautiful work.  How do you cut the joints?
Reply:Great looking cage. Can you tell us about what equipment you used for bending and cutting? Did you enter the CAD files directly into the bender and cutters?You see so many stories about work being sent overseas, and it was nice to see a story sending product in the other direction.How did you Land this project?
Reply:That is TRUE talent.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Hey man, do you do any kind of stress analisis? or are you taking into account some obstacles inside the car?I think you can move some stuff and make it stronger...however that´s a 4th semester advice, still learning...My Babies: HF Drill pressHF Pipe Bender3   4.5" Black and Decker angle grindersLincoln Electric PROMIG 175that´s it!
Reply:Thanks for all the compliments guys!  There is nothing high tech about about my shop - right now all the equipment is manual.  I do plan on building a CNC gantry for my plasma cutter, but not even started on that one yet.  The bending was all done on a large mandrel bender that is pretty much a copy of a Pines #3.  On the thick walled roll bar tubing I don't have to use an inner mandrel or wiper die, so the full blown mandrel bender is a bit of overkill.  It does give me an easy way to get repeatable parts, though.The notching was all done on a 1965 Nichols horizontal milling machine that I have set up as a dedicated notcher.  It makes a nice, highly adjustable fairly chatter free notcher - and it was cheap!  $400 on Ebay including shipping, and about $300 in the vice and endmill holder.  Took a bit of degreasing, but the machine was in great shape under all that preservative!The most important tool for working out all those notches was Bend-Tech software.  It does a great job of simplifying all the joints!Oh, and the brand of the car is given away in some of the pictures in the Galleries I linked to.  There is a 3' tall logo epoxied right into the surface plate the chassis was built on.  Yes, the cage is not symmetric.  There is a hump on the driver's side to give more headroom, and the driver's side door bars bow out for more room as well.There are pictures of the benders and notchers in the galleries I linked to above.  Here is a more direct route - http://tubularfab.com/GalleryJason
Reply:Elvergon - I did not design this cage; the car manufacturer did that.  I just had to copy the design exactly as it was modelled in cad.  It's not the most triangulated cage out there, but all the load paths are nicely done.