3D Printing Roller Coaster Track | How to make K'Nex/Printed Hybrids!

I've been working on a K'nex compatible track design for over a year and in this video I will show you how I design and manufacture it!
I first showed off this track design as a part of my magnetic braking project. When that project concluded I began to refine the design and manufacturing processes shown in this video. I wanted to create a stronger track than the K'nex track that would also require less adjustments and cost less to procure. I decided the best way to finish this coaster would to print the station and lift hill. Both sections were a huge challenge and it took nearly nine months to finish!
The lift hill stands at about 4 feet 10 inches. I consumed about 50 feet of tubing and three kilograms of PLA to get to this point. Every material, tool, and software shown in this video was purchased by me. No material or software was given for review or sponsorship.
In a future video I will be adding the final track mechanics and electronics to finish the coaster. I am also working on the next generation of my custom trains. Stay tuned for more on both projects!
Video Sources:
Maverick POV by Cedar Point:
• Maverick POV
Rattler Sway Video:
• Six Flags Fiesta Park ...

[@Silacide]

Lovely video! You should make modular parts based off the Rollercoaster Tycoon trackpieces but at the scale of a K'nex grid so you can very easily place and connect them

[@ModeledCoasters]

Thank you! I actually had considered something like this but for elements tricker to build with knex. I also thought possibly doing mechanical parts like a transfer table with this design while keeping the rest Knex would be useful too. If there's enough interest I can try to put something together!

[@cod3lta]

That was amazing to watch! Congratulations for achieving such an cool project. Even tough I'm not into 3D printing, this was very interesting to follow.

[@ModeledCoasters]

Thank you! I'm super excited to go beyond this and add even more to the coaster!

[@TheKnexMaker]

wow nice job! I would love to see a 3d printed single rail coaster or a hydrid rmc with popsicle stick structure! would be cool to see 3d printed rmc track with inside wheels rather htne outside wheels

[@ModeledCoasters]

Those are definitely neat ideas I've definitely had. Once I'm more confident with designing and manufacturing the track I'm very interested in doing a Popsicle stick/printed hybrid coaster!

[@t9-209]

is back !!

[@djo_man]

Man, your videos are always a nice treat. Just its own little niche, but it fills it brilliantly. If you really wanna take off, though, here's a tip: get a bit of sound isolation for your recording room, and invest in a mid-quality microphone.

[@ModeledCoasters]

Thank you! I'm really glad my niche hobby can bring you and others some entertainment! I fully realize the audio isn't fantastic and it's defiantly something I'm going to work on for future videos. Thanks for the feedback!

[@3dprinterguy393]

Now upscale this by a large margin and you have a real rollercoaster. On a serious note great video, do you have any tips as i would like to do it myself?

[@ModeledCoasters]

Maybe someday I'll have the space and money to do that! My best tip is to give your designs some "wiggle room." The printing process is never 100% accurate to the computer designs, so building in some adjustability saves you a ton of time and materials. This was something I learned the hard way pretty early into the process. Also use quality materials and glues. The super glue I was using didn't hold up very well and that doomed the project.

[@alault-cook4072]

I am currently looking into 3d printing a working scale model of Millennium Force at cedar point. Do you have any tips for how to design the trains?

[@ModeledCoasters]

That's super cool and I look forward to seeing it! Designing trains is surprisingly complicated. I highly suggest checking out both my original video of my train design and the recent update video of them. By far my biggest suggestion is to create a design that is forgiving of track imperfections, but not too forgiving. If the parts are too loose or allow for too much movement then it makes them perform poorly. A good 3D printer and quality material for it is extremely important. Finally, the size of the model will have some impact on the complexity. If the scale is too small then creating and printing functional parts becomes more tricky. This is why I haven't done any projects with micro knex.

[@alault-cook4072]

@@ModeledCoasters thank you for the advice

[@TheKnexMaker]

18:50 you mention about the trains touching. I almost solved this and it took me designing an rmc train for knex to solve it. making the cars closer together while setting back the ball joint makes tighter turns easier. ill send you the base files for the train if you wana edit them to add your wheel assemblys

[@ModeledCoasters]

I've definitely gone through in my head how I could make the cars take an even tighter turn. But realistically I'm satisfied with the turning radius for now because it's fairly realistic scaled up. The idea I've been playing with is shorting the cars to a single row with that row riding on the axle similar to how B&M builds their trains. I've begun redesigning my trains with that idea in mind. My current trains are very similar to the RMC trains with a ball joint at the center. I think the new version will be designed so that I could do either a style similar to B&M or RMC. I'm a little hesitant to go with the b&M design because it would double the amount of bearings I need making it far heavier. My track could definitely handle the weight, but I can't say the same for the knex track!

[@TheGoofyking2.0]

In the beginning the way how that coaster moved Real wooden coastr

[@noahvanevski6892]

where did you get that tubing for the track? I’ve been looking for knex size tubing with no luck.

[@ModeledCoasters]

It's a 1/4" OD polyethylene tubing from the hardware store. I purchased it from Home Depot, but it is also available at Lowe's. The inner diameter is larger than the ID of K'nex tubing, so it's not perfectly compatible with the cross ties.

[@davemusic_96]

Do you sell any of your 3D models or know anyone that does as I would definitely be interested in purchasing! I’m not sure how to 3D print and I struggle to find any standard coaster cars in the UK

[@ModeledCoasters]

I'm planning on selling a couple batches of my trains once I finish the next generation of them. The design is nearly finalized and I should hopefully be sharing more information by the end of February! I wasn't really intending to sell any track models as I don't have the capacity to make them. But if there's enough interest I can look into it.

[@davemusic_96]

@@ModeledCoasters Amazing! I’ll check back regularly for any updates. Thank you

[@michanowak8579]

Hello! I am building my own roller coaster that will be almost 100% 3d printed. I can' t find the right material for the tubing. Do you know about something similar to knex tubing and where it can be bought?

[@ModeledCoasters]

I'm using a 1/4" OD polyethylene tubing I purchased from the Home Depot. Lowe's and Menards also sell it. This works with both my custom trains and the screaming serpent trains. You can also purchase it for cheaper with more options from an online store such as McMaster-Carr, but they charge a lot for shipping.

[@lykosgen7973]

You could also use the black garden tubing that doesn’t need to be drinking water safe.

[@lykosgen7973]

Have you thought about of using blender to make more smooth turns?

[@ModeledCoasters]

I haven't, but it's something I'll consider for the future! I'm not as familiar with blender as I am with Solidwoks, but I'll give it a try for the next coaster

[@lavasteel966]

Very good, but how much does solidworks cost?

[@ModeledCoasters]

I'm using a makers license of the software and paid $100 for a year subscription. I only recommend using it if you have prior experience using Solidwoks as the makers edition is extremely buggy.

[@littleelectricity3401]

Also when 3D printing a clothoid loop, keep the minimum radius in mind. Made that mistake…

[@ModeledCoasters]

I'm sure that mistake must have hurt. Between my two mistakes I lost nearly a week of printing time.

[@sidthegamingsquid]

What cad software did u use?

[@ModeledCoasters]

A maker's license of Solidwoks

[@sidthegamingsquid]

also how did you make the rail and train?@@ModeledCoasters

[@xantron7]

How is your launch going?

[@ModeledCoasters]

I've put it on the back burner for the time being as I finish some other projects. I'm nearly done with the next generation of my trains and an accompanying variant of it. When they are done I plan on starting to build it!

[@PCrailfan3790]

2:40 even if this is safe, I would not go on that.

[@rosariobono438]

Why not if it’s safe?