Here is a look at our progress at the end of the school year.



 I haven't been able to post for a while because we have been working hard to reach our goal of having the four tires and steering on by the end of the year. Our initial goal was to have all four tires on by the end of April, but we got sidetracked by working on the steering mechanism so we decided to finish it all by the end of the year.



Above is the front end of the go-kart. In this picture
you can see the tires, suspension, and steering.



As you can see in these pictures, our goal has been reached. We had a lot of trouble aligning the rack and pinion sprocket with the steering column sprocket. Another major problem we had was aligning the tires. They still need to be adjusted but we are happy to have them on and for the most part straight. 



This picture shows the rear view of the go-kart. The tires,
shocks, and sprockets can be seen.



The seats are not permanently attached we just threw those in for the picture. Everything else in the photos is ready to be permanently connected. The whole class is looking forward to next year. Our work next school year will be primarily incorporating the important features such as brakes, the engine, the seat, and the floor. We will spend a lot less time cutting parts and welding on assemblies. The team believes we should be finished with enough time to test drive our go-kart by the end of next year!

The Go-Kart is starting to looking sweet now! We have the roll

cage almost completely finished and we are working on the seat

 supports. Pretty soon we will be able to add on the assemblies

that are ready and the project will come together quickly. We

haven't ordered the engine yet but we have one in mind. It's a

420cc so we will be able to shred!! The group is getting much

faster with the machines so our production rate has increased.

We also know who is better at which machine so we can rely

on our groupmates if we need help making a piece.



Nate warms up the torch.



Nate is cutting out a piece of sheet metal with the torch.
Epic isn't it?




Nate, Cortland, and Tony test the frame for stability.





As you can see the team has finally began
 to work vertically on the frame.



Luke Bobby is cutting some metal.

Cortland is seen here holding the steering column.

He still has some work to do on it.

Jojo and nate are doing work while Tony plays around 

Joe is working on the lower A-arms.

We reached a huge milestone recently as the frame is starting to look like a Go-Kart. The roll cage is on and we're continuing to move forward. The steering column is near completion and most of the suspension is already welded and ready to be added to the frame. The team is working faster now as we have become more familiar with the shop and its tools. Also we have a radio now and we seem to work faster with it.

The group is very excited about the progress that we have accomplished.

The technology that we have been learning to use is very useful. Some of

the skills that we have been taught include welding, grinding, operating a

few different types of saws, and using the mill, CNC program, and pipe bender.

Above is Cortland Smith incorporating the CNC program.

This machine can produce parts to exact accuracy.

The welders (Nate and Tony) are scoping out the frame before welding on the next piece.

The bottom frame is almost complete. Soon we will be able to start assembling vertically.

The Assemblers have now finished the upper and lower A-arms, the spindle, the steering column, and the shock mount support brackets. As the Assemblers continue to make parts, the Welders continue to build the frame.

Soon it will all come together.

The progress of our go-kart is really starting to show now. The welders have most of the bottom of the frame successfully welded and the assemblers have been working on the suspension and steering. We have now began to work as a team because all of us have specialties. We help each other with our assignments to make the process quicker. Some of the assemblies that are almost finished include the lower A-arms, the spindle, and the shock mount support brackets.

Tony Leithner (Left) and Nate Wall are the welders of the group.

The welders are going to town!

Also you can see their progress so far on the frame.

We still have plenty of work cut out for us seeing as there are 376 total parts in the frame alone!

We are the Pre-Engineering III class at Ridgway Area High School. Our project for this year is to plan, design, and build a go-kart.

From left to right: Luke Bobby, Cortland Smith,

Nate Wall, Tony Leithner, and Joe Jaques

Luke Bobby grinds a piece of metal.

 Right now we are just beginning to make our first pieces. The first quarter of the year we spent coming up with the idea, solving constraint problems, and finding the necessary materials online. We ordered the plan for the go-kart online and it came with a list of the metal we needed to buy. We took that list to Segel & Son, Inc. They shipped us all the materials. Then we had to do an inventory check of all the parts. Now that we know all the materials are here, we have started to manufacture parts. We have broken up into two groups: The Assemblers (Luke, Cortland, and Joe) and The Welders (Nate and Tony).