Baja NOW Weekly Update: Week of March 3, 2019

This week, Iowa Baja began the fabrication of one of the most critical components of the car, the gearbox. The gearbox is vital to the car as it alters torque and speed between our Briggs & Stratton motor and the rear wheels. Its two primary components, gears, and case were designed in-house by Iowa Baja. The aluminum case, (the container which holds the gears) was milled by the University of Iowa's Engineering Machine Shop on their 3-Axis CNC Mill. First, The Engineering Machine Shop cut out the gears before they were sent Reliable Machine and Tooling for hobbing (cutting the teeth on the gears) and broaching (splining the center of the gears). For finishing, our sponsor Donohoo Steel Treating, heat-treated the gears to ensure their durability over extended periods with aggressive use. Our gears were case hardened, a heat treatment process which produces a surface resistant to wear while maintaining toughness and strength of the core material of the gear.

We are always looking for donations to our team. We accept material, machine time, as well as monetary donations. For more information, check out the "Sponsors" page of our website.