# Methodology Proposal, Virtual Simulations and 3D Printed Prototype of a Car Steering Wheel
## 6 Conclusions  
3D printing technologies have become invaluable in rapidly bringing products to market, reducing production costs, and allowing customers to influence the final design of products. These technologies enable the replacement of expensive machine parts with printed components that meet required mechanical properties while being significantly more cost-effective to produce. Moreover, there is now a wide range of free software available, allowing even average users to create virtual 3D models and print them, either using their own 3D printers or through companies offering professional 3D printing services. Additionally, 3D printer manufacturers collaborate closely with CAD application developers to ensure seamless compatibility between CAD output files and 3D printers. With the ability to print even moving components, the advancement of 3D printing technology continues to accelerate at a remarkable pace. The production of plastic products has traditionally relied on injection molding, where hot plastic is injected into molds. However, in recent years, 3D additive printing has become a viable alternative for manufacturing plastic components. A key question that arises is whether products made through 3D printing exhibit the same or at least adequate mechanical properties compared to those produced by injection molding. Due to the wide range of materials available for 3D printing, it is essential to continually test the mechanical properties of new products intended for commercial use and compliance with standards. The article presents the use of 3D virtual simulations, 3D printing, and deformation tests for the design of a new prototype of a car steering wheel. The methodology is divided into four phases: preparatory phase, virtual simulation phase, 3D prototype printing phase, and testing phase. This article explores the application of 3D virtual simulations, 3D printing, and deformation testing in designing a new prototype of a car steering wheel. The methodology consists of four phases: the preparatory phase, the virtual simulation phase, the 3D prototype printing phase, and the testing phase. The preparatory phase involved gathering source data for the virtual 3D model of the steering wheel and defining material characteristics. The selected materials needed to meet the criteria for strength, abrasion resistance, UV stability, and resistance to extreme temperatures. Three materials met these requirements: ASA, ABS-M30, and PC-ABS. The virtual simulation phase required advanced theoretical knowledge of virtual simulations. Initial strength simulations using the three tested materials showed that the steering wheel model could not withstand the test load of 5000 N. Consequently, the  
Figure 16: Hardness values for individual materials. design had to be optimized. After optimization and re-simulation, the model successfully withstood the required 5000 N load. The 3D printing phase required an in-depth understanding of professional 3D printers available in Slovakia. The selection criteria included compatibility with the required materials, adequate work surface size, and multi-color printing capabilities. A key constraint was the size of the bottom part, which measured 38.7 cm in two dimensions. Three printers met the initial requirements: Fortus 450 mc, Stratasys F900, and CraftBot FLOW IDEX XL. However, after careful consideration, the Stratasys F900 was selected, as using the other two printers would require rotating the bottom part by 90 degrees, significantly increasing support material usage and overall costs. For financial reasons, the prototype was printed for demonstration purposes using PET-G material (Figure 9). The testing phase involved deformation tests on samples printed from the selected materials. Two standardized 3D models were created: a cylindrical sample for compression testing and a cuboid-shaped sample for hardness testing. For the compression test, five samples of each material (ASA, ABS-M30, and PC-ABS) were printed using a Fortus 450 mc printer with a layer thickness of 0.25 mm.