Formula Student is an international competition, held annually, in which teams of university students are tasked with designing, manufacturing and racing single seat racing cars. Starting with only a blank piece of paper, competitors have to design every aspect of the car in just 9 months, to compete at the world-famous Silverstone Racing Circuit against other universities from around the world.
Lancaster University’s team, Lancaster E-Racing, has been competing in Formula Student since 1998, and has run an all-electric powertrain since 2017. The added complexity stemming from an electric vehicle is formidable, and Lancaster E-Racing has had mixed success since making the switch from conventional IC engines. The 2020/21 car had to be the best yet, in order to have any chance of making a dent at Silverstone.
“We liaised with Printpool to deliver the best solution for our vehicle. This turned out to be a fantastic decision”
Lancaster E-Racing needed a wide variety of complex, one-off parts to be manufactured at short notice for their high-tech vehicle. This included the steering wheel, various clips and ducts, and the main structure of the aerodynamic wings and spoilers.
Additive manufacturing was quickly identified as the most promising technology to produce these parts, as each design was bespoke. Time was of the essence, and the team couldn’t afford the price-tag associated with machining, casting or fabricating a series of complex designs. After being contacted by the team, Printpool offered to produce the parts that were required as part of a sponsorship deal to support the next generation of young and promising engineers.
“Printpool enabled us to deliver the aerodynamics packages well ahead of schedule (and to a very high quality), allowing time for other activities, in a project where time was of the essence!” Archie Maheswaran – Team Leader
The Lancaster E-Racing team worked hard throughout the year to design, simulate and optimise their systems and components for the race ahead. For the aerodynamic parts, sophisticated aerofoil sections were developed that would produce high downforce in cornering.
The team liaised with Printpool to identify the best materials for each case, and to get specialist advice on how the designs could be tweaked so they could be manufactured perfectly. The majority of the large wing sections were produced using Tough PLA, to balance strength, weight and cost. The smaller, thinner sections, were made from Onyx. Onyx is a material made from a blend of Nylon and Carbon fibre, and has outstanding strength and surface finish – perfect for the job at hand.
The steering wheel needed to be strong and lightweight, to support the various components housed within it, and be safe for the driver in the event of a crash. Again, Onyx was selected as the perfect material for the job, and after the final design revisions suggested by Printpool were complete, manufacturing began in earnest.
The final car, all can agree, was stunning. The aerodynamics package, complete with its 3D printed core, came together perfectly. The judges were impressed with the innovative use of advanced manufacturing techniques demonstrated in its design, and the steering wheel passed all safety checks and was significantly lighter than previous iterations.
Although the team didn’t win the competition on this occasion, largely due to issues with the welded space-frame chassis at the event, a strong foundation was created that future teams can build on to succeed. Printpool was proud to support the team in achieving their goals, and looks forward to supporting the team again in competitions to come.
