Introduction: 3D Printed Bike for Toddler (walking Bike)

By Bobbee
About: Hello my name is Bob and I like to make things. www.youtube.com/bobbee

In this Instructable I show you how I made a 3D printed bike (frame) for my son.

I am new to 3D printing and was curious if it is really possible to print 'anything'. So I started with this bike.
It's really amazing to see your own design being printed in real life.

Supplies

The materials and tools I used for this project.

For the frame:

For the rest of the bike:

  • 2 wheels
  • bike seat
  • front fork
  • steering wheel


Software:

  • Blender free 3D modeling software
  • Cura slicer for the 3D printer


* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Step 1: Check Out My Video!

In this video I show step by step how I made the 3D printed walking bike from scratch. I hope this video will give you inspiration or help to make a cool project yourself.

Along with the video I show you in the steps below how I dit it :-)

Step 2: Drawing

I started with a sketch of what I had in mind.
Then I translated this sketch into a 3D model.

To make the model I used a free software called Blender.

I made the frame not too difficult because 3D modeling and printing is all new to me.
So everything pretty straight forward.

Step 3: Preparing and Printing

I had to cut the frame into smaller pieces. This because the size of the frame is too big to print on my Ender 3.

I exported the files from Blender as .STL files and imported it into a software called Cura.

With this software you can prepare your file for the 3D printer.

I setup the printer for PLA+ and I didn't use any infill. But I did use supports.

I don't use infill because I will fill the frame with epoxy.

When I prepared all the files it was time to print.
The total printing time was about 80 hours and about 500 grams of PLA

Step 4: Putting It Together.

When the pieces came out of the printer I was really relieved that everything went well.

  1. I sand the connections of the parts so they fit all nicely.
  2. Then I open up all the ends of the parts, so when I pour epoxy, it will flow trough the whole frame.
  3. I glue the frame together using epoxy.

Step 5: Fill It Up With Epoxy

Now I drill a small hole in the bottom of the frame and fill the whole frame with epoxy.

So it will form a really strong connection.

I do this to lessen the printing time and to make the frame extra strong.

When the epoxy is dry, I sand the frame and give it a final coat with a red coloured epoxy.
This to make it extra durable.

Step 6: Assemble

Now all left to do is assemble the bike and give it a go.

Step 7: Done :-)

My baby boy really likes his new bike.
It's still a little bit big for him, because hes only 19 months old.
But this spring he can enjoy it in the bike park.

Thank you for checking out my Instructable :-)

Please also check out my youtube channel