We are talking to contractors for the first production facility. Experts at supply chain, regulatory documentation, assembly, and more. It is a dream that is becoming reality.
“We are talking to contractors for the first production facility. It is a dream that is becoming reality.”
CEO & Founder
Introduction
We are working on that last investment document, which once done will clear the way for the first production facility. As an architect of 26 years, I am for the first time overseeing designs for my own business rather than for other people’s companies. It is an awesome feeling. Almost as cool as creating the Switchblade itself but that is hard to beat. I can try though!
The whole group is working hard at making things ready for a big boost of speed and effort as we hire and pull in new staff needed to bring the Switchblade into production. Experts at supply chain, regulatory documentation, assembly, and more. Thank you all for helping us achieve this. Without your interest, it would be impossible.
This is a shorter newsletter, as it has only been a few weeks since our last one. We hope you like it, even so. Just for fun I created an image of what it might look like if the Switchblade were the first flying car on Mars.
We Are Using Special Gears for the Hybrid System
The Switchblade rear wheels have a gearbox to allow us to use smaller and lighter electric motors but still get decent performance in ground mode. While we showed you the gear case last month, this time we are showing the gear set inside, as it has some cool design to it.
There are different types of gears. Straight gears have teeth that are straight along the axis of rotation. These work great, especially for high powered gear sets like in manufacturing. But for cars, noise can be an issue and straight gears make more noise than other types.
Helical gears have a slight spiral shape to the gears and engage a little at a time rather than like a straight gear that engages a row of teeth all at the same time. Helicals are smoother in operation and quieter, and are used for many automotive functions. Almost all transmissions have helical gears, as do the differential gears that split power out to the wheels either in the front or rear of a car. There are other gears with fancy names, but let me show you the gear set developed by Samson Mechanical Engineer, Pardhu Vadrevu.
In the image below, you can see the smaller gear that is driven by the motor, and the larger gear that engages with the smaller gear. This arrangement allows the smaller electric motor to spin faster where it can make more power, and use the gears to shift that down while it increases the twisting force, called torque. The Asruk motor is shown to the right and behind, which is connected to the small gear by a short drive shaft.
Front Suspension Arm in Organic Stage
In mechanical engineering one uses tools that iterate through different solutions to come up with the least amount of material to do the job. Sometimes you end up with a very organic looking structure, as nature can be pretty efficient. After all, it has gone through thousands of years of the iteration process to end up with solutions that survive or thrive in this world we are in.
In this case, the front leading suspension arm (wheel in front) reaches forward to grab the front wheel and allow it to swivel from side to side for steering as well as move up and down to absorb bumps. It has to be stiff enough so that it doesn’t bend in any direction or twist under load.
The engineers will load in design parameters (rules) and the computer will run through different solutions looking for what you tell it to look for in a solution. Whether that is lightest weight, stiffest structure, cheapest material, or any number of other solutions possible. Sometimes a combination!
At some point you have what looks like a workable shape which has the weight you are looking for and the strength required. This is what is shown in the image above. An engineer will take that shape and through knowledge of materials and processes, come up with a new shape that uses the efficiency of the organic shape but is modified into a shape that can be mass produced. Then you run that shape through the engineering process to make sure it is still strong enough, and there you have it! A final part ready for production.
We are at that point now where we are taking that organic shape and modifying it for mass production. We had a shape earlier which worked but was a bit heavy. So far, it looks like we are saving about three pounds with this new shape.
Contract Engineer Dylan Joseph is working to finish up the last bit of this front suspension project for Samson. The grey leading arm has a shock absorber mounted to the top on the right side of the image. That arm connects the front wheel to the vehicle behind it. It still retains the organic shape that Dylan is modifying into a part that can be mass produced. The dark blue shape on the left is the front brake caliper.
Trial Fitting the Generator Mount to Engine
As many of you know, we use 3D printing to test fit parts to make sure they will work before carving them out of steel or aluminum. The blue piece in the image below is a 3D print of the generator mount that attaches the generator set to the internal combustion engine in the Switchblade. The engine pictured is our engine used for testing the hybrid system, and the test fit went very well. Chief Engineer David Nobles is pictured holding it in place during the test fit.
The next phase is to produce drawings and send it out to be cut from billet (solid slab) aluminum on a Computer Numerically Controlled milling machine commonly referred to as a CNC. A programmer for the machine sets the machine up, creating tool paths and tool changes to allow the billet to be carved quickly down to the shape shown. Then we will use it to attach the generators to the engine for the rest of the hybrid system testing.
Ready For a Switchblade?
I know I am. This is one of those moments where you are faced with the future and that future beckons. You can ignore it, hide from it, or confront it. I bet you can imagine which one is the winning approach. I don’t recommend the ostrich approach, and what happened the last time you saw something but pretended it wasn’t there? Right! Not a good outcome.
We see a future worth living in, and that future has flying cars in it. You don’t have to own one, but just think what it would give you. Freedom of travel on your own schedule and terms. A way to save tremendous time during regional travel of 200-500 miles or more. The feeling of competence that good pilot training provides. A way to expand your business without being away from home so much. And it is fun to drive. Try 0-60 in 5 seconds and see what that feels like.
When you make a $500 non-refundable Deposit, you are given a fixed Delivery Position for your Switchblade. The other option is to simply Reserve and get your name on the Switchblade Reservation List.
Deposit or Reserve
Yours,
Sam Bousfield
Captain, Switchblade Team
Switchblade news from around the world
Cascade Business News
In case you missed it, we wanted to share this nice article from one of our top local publications.
Manufacturing Breakthroughs Herald Imminent Switchblade Production
https://www.samsonsky.com/cascade-business-news-2/
Benzinga – Leading Media Source for Investors
Samson Sky and AIR Tashkent Strike Deal to Bring Switchblade Flying Car to Uzbekistan
https://www.samsonsky.com/benzinga-leading-media-source-for-investors-2/
Urban Air Mobility News
Samson Sky wins flying car orders from, and GA development cooperation deal with, Tajikistan
https://www.samsonsky.com/urban-air-mobility-news/
