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Transparent Light Covers

Designed clear covers for brake, indicator and daytime running lights that meet rules and keep drag and water out.

Lighting · CAD · Manufacturing · Regulations · Solar Racing
Light-cone regulation checks in CAD
Vacuum-formed cover and buck test-fit
Installed covers sealed to the shell

Outcomes

  • Passed lighting and enclosure checks at scrutineering.
  • Reduced water ingress and kept wiring clean.
  • Kept surfaces flush and smooth for lower drag.

New to Solar Racing? Read What is Solar Racing? for a quick overview.

Requirements

Meet visibility cones and brightness for indicators, brakes and DRLs.
Keep covers sealed and smooth for low drag.
Allow access for service without damaging the finish.

Design

I shaped the covers in CAD to follow the shell and keep a clean aerodynamic profile. I first placed the lamps to satisfy the cone requirements, then designed the cover geometry and flanges around that.

I compared a few manufacturing options. The goal was high optical clarity so the lamps could stay compact without wasting power. The previous car used fibreglass covers that fit the carbon shell well but were opaque. I chose vacuum forming for cost, speed and clarity, then printed several forming tools to iterate.

Front lights

Front light cluster behind a clear formed cover.
Front light cluster behind a clear formed cover.
Central stop light

High-mounted central stop light.
High-mounted central stop light.
Left indicator

Left indicator cover aligned to the shell curvature.
Left indicator cover aligned to the shell curvature.
Right indicator

Right indicator cover trimmed to a scribe and sealed.
Right indicator cover trimmed to a scribe and sealed.

Most covers formed cleanly over male moulds thanks to gentle curvature. The two rear covers were more complex and needed female moulds. I tuned the vacuum port sizes to avoid print-through while still pulling enough suction to form. Below are two tool approaches used on the rear left cover.

Prototype female mould, pre-prep

Prototype female mould before surface prep and port tuning.
Prototype female mould before surface prep and port tuning.
Formed cover and mould

Formed cover next to a one-piece male tool used in early trials.
Formed cover next to a one-piece male tool used in early trials.

The rear left was difficult because of size and shape. A male draw thinned PETG too much and it lacked stiffness. The female approach uses two halves bonded together. The split line is less transparent than a single draw, but overall clarity is still a big improvement on the last iteration.

Comparison of new vs old light covers

New vacuum-formed PETG covers compared with the older fibreglass covers. Higher clarity allows lower lamp power for the same visibility.
New vacuum-formed PETG covers compared with the older fibreglass covers. Higher clarity allows lower lamp power for the same visibility.
Rear right light

Finished rear right light.
Finished rear right light.
Rear left light

Finished Raer Left Light
Finished Raer Left Light

Build

Covers are clear PETG, vacuum formed over printed tools. I trimmed to a scribe line, test fit on the shell, then sealed with a thin adhesive bead around the flange. I faired the outer edge into the surface with a small fillet of body filler, wet-sanded to a smooth transition, and wrapped over the area.

Materials and notes

  • PETG sheet, 1.0–2.0 mm depending on stiffness and curvature
  • Printed tooling with light draft and a smooth surface to avoid imprint
  • Clear structural adhesive on the flange with light clamping during cure
  • Small body-filler fillet to blend into the carbon shell, then wet-sand and wrap
  • Service access planned for lamp PCBs and cable runs

What I would refine next

  • Bond covers earlier in the build to allow more fairing time and a cleaner wrap finish
  • Use printed resin tools for the complex rear geometry to improve surface quality
  • Standardise access for PCB replacement and sealing checks