Student racers enlist help from digital factory

Students have called on the expertise of staff at the North East Productivity Alliance's Digital Factory to help them in their quest to win the 2008 Formula Student championship.

A student pit crew is gearing up for a competition that could see it crowned Formula Student champion 2008.

The University of Sunderland Motorsport Team has designed, developed and is now driving to its limits a racing car that it hopes will power to victory in the prestigious student competition.

The car, named SU08, is being honed by the team at its workshop at the Industry Centre on Wessington Way, for Formula Student an International competition where students from different universities design, build, test and race a single-seat race car.

Students called on the expertise of staff at the North East Productivity Alliance's Digital Factory to help.

According to Paul Walsham, Joint Team Captain of the Sunderland team: "Formula Student allows us to put into practice the knowledge gained from the classroom and develop new skills and experience by actually building a car from our designs".

The NEPA Digital Factory provides NorthEast business with training in digital engineering software and physical technologies, broader skills development, access to technologies such as 3D scanning, rapid prototyping and advanced machining as well as design and innovation support, assisting product, process and strategic innovation.

Alan Stafford, the Digital Factory Project Manager, adds: "While the Digital Factory project is designed to assist manufacturing industry and their current employees, these students are our engineers of the future".

"Formula Student not only consolidates their academic engineering knowledge but also requires them to run the project as a commercial operation".

"Digital Factory staff donate their own time to train and support students and to transfer industrial design to manufacture best practice and, by working with regional firms, to develop the experience and skills needed by employers".

"This aids the retention of graduates in the region and we have a number of ex-formula students are now employed by regional firms and even undergraduates who are working with firms on a part-time basis".

"You can't help but be impressed by the dedication of these "engineers of the future" and I wish them the best of luck in the competition and hope very much that their hard work pays off".

Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix, will play host to the finals of Formula Student from 10th July 2008 for three days.

Each team must produce a car which fits a specific design brief: relatively low cost, easy maintenance and good reliability.

A sponsor event has already been staged by the team, but more sponsors are being sought in the run up to the final of the competition.

Julie Liddle Joint Team Captain adds: "We ask for sponsorship; financially and in kind".

"Help with manufacturing parts of the car would be brilliant, and we put our sponsors' logos on the car".

"If we had enough sponsorship we could go to the competitions in Europe, Australia, America and Germany".

"We take it very seriously and are proud of our engineering achievement".

Formula Student is not part of an accredited academic programme therefore all the team set aside as many hours as their academic timetable will allow.

On top of the design and build the students are learning new skills including welding, engine dynamics and thermodynamics.

For the event at Silverstone the students are required to present a detailed cost analyses to manufacture and sell their car, this requires the students to develop presentation, sales and marketing skills.

The team feels this year will be our most successful year to date.

Walsham comments: "We have worked hard to modify the chassis and suspension to make the car 45kg lighter".

"It will be faster and more reliable due to a new electronic management system".

"The training received from the Digital Factory project has enabled us to put our ideas in to practical applications".

Last year the team came in 60th place - but this year the team has been boosted by bringing in those who study subjects other than engineering.

This year, only five of the team study engineering, while the rest are enrolled on an array of courses, including: business, IT, journalism, design and history.

The finished car will be driven by six of the team, and will be tested in a host of disciplines including speed, handling, stability, cost, balance, safety, skill and endurance among other things.

Formula Student is designed to be a progressive learning exercise throughout a three or four-year academic course.

The annual Formula Student Event, where teams have their work judged by industry specialists and demonstrate the performance of the car, is held at the end of each academic year.

The Sunderland team is one of 104 teams from 21 different countries competing this year, including England, Wales, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, India, Austria, Italy and USA.

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