Calling All Young Makers in Onslow County! Build a 3D Printed Derby Car and Earn a FREE Spool of Black PLA from ENC3D!

Have you ever wanted to design your own race car?

Now's your chance!

At ENC3D, we love seeing young people discover the amazing world of 3D printing, engineering, and creativity. That's why we're launching a fun challenge for kids and homeschool families throughout Eastern North Carolina.

(This post contains affiliate links. I may get a small portion of any purchase made through them.)

The Challenge

Design or print your own 3D printed derby car!

Whether you download an existing design or create one from scratch, we'd love to see what you make.

When your derby car is finished:

1. Take a photo of your completed car.

2. Share it on the ENC3D Exchange Facebook group or on Instagram enc3dnc.

3. Tag ENC3D in your post (or mention us if you're posting in the Facebook group).

   
   

As a thank-you for participating, ENC3D will donate one FREE cardboard 1 kg spool of Elegoo black PLA filament for each child who completes the challenge, while supplies last. (One spool per participating family, Onslow county residents only- while supplies last.)

Our goal isn't to find the fastest car—it's to encourage learning, creativity, and having fun with 3D printing.

Don't Know Where to Start?

That's okay! There are plenty of free resources available.

Download a Ready-to-Print Derby Car

These websites offer free and low-cost 3D printable derby car files:

• MakerWorld – A great choice for Bambu Lab users, with many models that include recommended print settings.

• Printables – Thousands of free designs from makers around the world.

• Thingiverse – One of the largest collections of free 3D printable models.

• Thangs – A search engine that helps you find models from multiple 3D printing websites.

Simply search for terms like:

• "3D Printed Derby Car"

• "Pinewood Derby"

• "Derby Racer"

  
  

You'll find plenty of designs that are perfect for beginners.

Want an Even Bigger Challenge?

Instead of downloading a model, try designing your own!

Free CAD programs like Tinkercad make it easy for beginners to learn how to design simple 3D models. As your skills grow, you can experiment with different shapes, weight distribution, and wheel placement to see how each change affects performance.

That's how real engineers learn—by designing, testing, and improving.

Why Build a Derby Car?

A 3D printed derby car is much more than a fun project.

It teaches:

• Engineering

• Problem-solving

• Creativity

• CAD design

• 3D printing skills

• Patience and perseverance

It's also an excellent STEM activity for homeschool families, classrooms, maker clubs, and anyone who enjoys building things.

Looking for Inspiration?

One of the largest 3D printing events in the country, 3DPrintopia, hosts an annual 3D Printed Derby where makers bring their custom-designed cars to race and showcase their creativity. It's a great example of how engineering and imagination come together in the 3D printing community.

Whether you plan to enter a competition someday or simply race your cars with friends in your living room, the important part is learning, creating, and having fun.

We Can't Wait to See What You Build!

At ENC3D, we believe every great maker starts somewhere.

So fire up your printer, pick a design, and build something amazing.

We can't wait to see your derby car!

Happy printing,

The ENC3D Team

This giveaway is open to school age children and teens in high school in Onslow County residents. Because the filament will be provided through local pickup, participants must be able to pick up their free spool from ENC3D.  One cardboard Elegoo, black PLA spool per family while supplies last.