Leaf front grill block
Leaf front grill block
3D
Published 2019-05-16T13:05:10+00:00
This is a grill "block" for filling up the grill space on a 2011 Nissan Leaf. An electric car doesn't really need much front grill for cooling the engine. The standard grill also increases aerodynamic drag so you can improve the range of an electric car a little bit by filling in the grill space.
Whilst some people do this with a piece of plastic realestate signage, I've chosen to (a) lower the number plate so that it now covers the central part of the grill, and (b) fill the remaining space with 3D printed blocks that are held in place with velcro.
The STL provided gives you one side. Simply flip/reflect the object in your slicer tool (eg, Cura) to make the other side.
I printed mine in "vase mode" (called "spiralize outer contour" in Cura) so that the whole thing prints as a single hollow piece - this is fast and strong enough for the purpose. And it's super light weight - so you're not adding much mass to the car.
I used a 0.5 mm nozzle and 0.5 mm layer height to print it faster and give it thicker sidewalls.
It took just under 2 hours to print one.
| Date published | 16/05/2019 |
| Time to do | 113 - minutes |
| Material Quantity | 53 grams |
| Dimensions | 96.5 x 135.4 x 295.0 mm |
| Support Free | YES |
