F1 car features parts produced using Objet printer
An
Objet Geometries Europe product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Nov 3, 2009
The front and rear aerofoils and elements of the wheel mechanisms and axel supports in a winning Formula 1 (F1) car were produced using an Objet Alaris30 3D printer.
Redline Racing, a team from Trinity Christian School in Canberra, Australia, recently won the Fastest Car Award at the F1 in the Schools 2009 Technology Challenge held in London.
According to F1 in schools regulations, while the body of each car must be made from a single block of balsa wood, other parts may be produced from other non-metallic materials.
'We used Objet printed components because a more accurate part can be produced using this technology than can be achieved with the balsa wood,' said James Mazengarb of Redline Racing.
Alistair Smith, a teammate, added: 'The rules are very precise; cars can weigh a minimum of 55g with a +/-0.5g tolerance and wheels can have a minimum diameter of 26mm with a +/-0.1mm tolerance.
'In order to attain the minimum possible weight and wheel size to gain extra speed, it's critical that the parts are as accurate as possible, particularly to allow for the unexpected; for instance, our cars each gained 0.3g in the transit from Australia,' he said.
The Redline Racing team clocked the fastest time of 1.055 seconds on the 20m time trial track.
The F1 car went through a rigorous and technical process, from the original design in computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing to manufacturing and testing.
'By the time the car is manufactured and we go through aerodynamic testing, we can't make any big changes because it's too time consuming - except to the front and rear wings and the other printed parts because the 3D printing process is so quick,' said Smith.
Printed parts were produced for Redline Racing by Objet dealer and distributor for Australia XYZ Innovations.
The team also made its own tools for the project, including a static wheel balancer.
Also printed on the Alaras30 3D printer, the tool uses magnetism to test that wheels are balanced before they enter the F1 model car production line.
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