Mini crossbow for NERF dart

youmagine

After numerous iterations of thoughts, plans and models, I finally started designing this mini crossbow for the #3Dpgnerf4um2 competition hosted by the 3D Printing group on Facebook. My goal was to accomplish three specific things with this project: Make a design that is kid-friendly and can be used as a toy; Make it simple and fun to build as possible; Use little to no parts apart from the printed ones. I ended up designing this mini crossbow, which includes manual forward/backward motion via four wheels, left/right and up/down via manual gears. This model checks all three boxes: it is kid-friendly (and can be very colorful!), simple yet fun to build, and uses only a regular rubber band (along with the NERF dart). A quick rundown of the model is available below: https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8056/29219078343_a65cc7ab1b_b.jpg Despite looking very simple, the model had to go through several iterations before I felt like it's ready for the competition. The following picture is a tribute to those parts that helped prototype the project; you're amazing! I couldn't have done it without your sacrifice. I haven't been 3D printing for long, probably just a few months, and since this is my first functional model, I was thrilled when it started working. Since I didn't find anyone to ask about their opinion on how it's doing, I turned to some existing designs that inspired me: https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8184/29219088193_96ea817594_b.jpg - Credit: Loubie @ Thingiverse https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8521/29809829206_726bbf9b55_b.jpg - Credit: 3DBenchy https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8094/29809826966_6fb71e8351_b.jpg - Credit: MorenaP @ Thingiverse https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8051/29732199842_0c583a568d_b.jpg - Credit: SpierceTech @ Thingiverse https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5130/29219098943_48d3c64388_b.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8033/29732194392_c999d4b9ff_b.jpg