3DPRINTFR works with a wide range of industrial companies in many sectors. This includes automotive companies, where the company’s expertise in polymer powder bed fusion (PBF) 3D printing is often focused on functional prototypes of complex parts, as well as final production parts. Despite some reports of its untimely demise, the automotive industry is still a dominant force in the UK, research and development is strong as is manufacturing especially when it comes to motorsport which is a huge full-fledged industry. 3DPRINTUK has a number of motorsport fans on its team, so the company is generally up to date with what’s going on in Formula countries and home countries, there are still strong contingents of teams. of F1.

3DPRINTUK is also a big supporter of the next generation of automotive designers and engineers, which is nowhere more evident than the Formula Student competition in the UK. In this regard, the company is truly delighted to be a sponsor of Team Bath Racing (TBR), which later this month will return to Silverstone, the week following the Formula 1 Grand Prix to compete for the prestigious title. 2021 after an interruption in 2020 because of the Covid. 3DPRINTUK worked with the team and produced final car parts for them. Some of the work was done with Conor Smith, the outboard suspension designer and TBR21 sponsorship coordinator.

Smith is in his final year as an undergraduate in Mechanical with Automotive Engineering (MEng) at the University of Bath. His role on the team keeps him extremely busy, alongside his graduation, but he wouldn’t have done it any other way. Smith said, “Being part of TBR is an incredible opportunity. There is real value in entering this competition as it provides us with high-end engineering skills and real-world experience – an essential requirement for potential employers. Today’s automotive / F1 team employers actively seek “formula students” among graduate applicants. “

Although there is no maximum number of team members for Formula Student competition, TBR21 has 25 core team members who are all directly involved in the design and manufacture of the car as well as in the working with sponsors. Usually, in a normal year – without Covid – there can also be up to 50 young volunteers from the university involved in testing and other vital roles including firefighters etc. Once the core team is selected, they work together on the design, using digital skills to compete ‘on paper’ for a classroom competition to start learning and understanding the car as a whole.

Smith approached 3DPRINTUK last year to continue as a sponsor of TBR21 as he sees real value in 3D printing as a manufacturing method for certain applications on the car. He said, “3D printing is truly the cheapest and fastest way to manufacture complex parts. Other processes cost an order of magnitude more, and there are parts on our car that we just wouldn’t be able to manufacture otherwise (they are designed specifically for 3D printing). Plus, for some applications, especially prototyping, the speed of 3D printing turns things around in days, which really speeds up our design process. We use 3D printing with plastic and metallic materials. Obviously our supplier / sponsor of choice was 3DPRINTUK for plastics, where we are developing more and more end-use parts, although metal is still dominant for structural parts ”.

3DPRINTUK made the plenum of the TBR21 car in Nylon 12 material. It is a large volume container which is located between the turbocharger and the engine air intake. The plenum is a high-performance part which ensures that the motor draws in air as efficiently as possible. Essentially, the more air there is, the more fuel is burned and more power is produced. It is a relatively complex part of 250 mm x 150 diameters, with a closed volume, essentially hollow, and comprising an inlet port and an outlet port. It is not efficient for machines. According to Smith, the 3D printed part is excellent and performed well in testing.

3DPRINTUK produced the plenum using the MJF process with Nylon 12, which Smith said is a new process for the TBR21 team, but it was much more cost effective than the SLS process for the same part. The results showed no obvious performance difference. The company has also printed a range of components for the front fender of the car using the SLS process and Nylon 12, including aero sections and strakes that are glued to the front fender to guide airflow. around the tire. Smith added, “If they weren’t 3D printed, they would have to be carbon fiber formed, which takes at least five days.

With 3DPRINTUK, they take a day. Additionally, they are similar in weight to carbon fiber which is important for the performance of the car, and although carbon fiber may be more durable than nylon 12, for this application the tradeoff in it’s worth it. Everyone at TBR would like to thank the 3DPRINTUK team for their support in manufacturing 3D printed components for our race car. We were extremely impressed with the quality of the parts produced and we look forward to continuing our partnership together ”.