Speciality Materials

The most common materials used in 3D printing are plastics, which can range from high-performance engineering grade like PEEK, or basic like PLA.  Resin is another common material and it is used with SLA printers.  Composites are another category they are created by combining two materials to get the best properties of each.  The last big group of materials is metals which can only printed using industrial machines. The image below showing an assortment of parts manufactured with DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) process.

The most commonly used material in F1 is carbon filled PA.  There are several companies producing this under a variety of trade names. Most F1 teams have their own manufacturing facilities utilising this material to minimise production times.  Some teams even have 3D printing machines that they take to the race circuit to allow parts to be updated and fitted directly to the cars.

There are instances where more specialised materials are required.  The cockpit of an F1 car not only houses the driver, but many other components, including the driver drink system and mandatory fire extinguisher.  Because of the demanding physical nature of driving an F1 car, particularly in hot climates, the driver can lose several kilograms of fluid.

Therefore a drinking system is integrated to allow them to drink while driving (only water or an isotonic drink, of course!).  This involves a suitable fluid reservoir, pump and tubing to feed the drink to their helmet.  The space within the cockpit is very restricted, so the reservoir is often required to conform to the cockpit internal contours.  3D printing again allows a geometry to be created that can optimise the space available.  In this case, however, a food safe material is required and specialist manufacturers are used.

We help clients embrace and exploit new technologies, processes and materials.  If you require assistance in identifying the most appropriate material, technology or process in support of your next project then get in touch for a confidential discussion. Our Carbon SLS service (Datasheet here) provides a multitude of rapid prototype and end use component solutions in and out of the racecar.

Ducting and pipework

The performance of an F1 car is dominated by the efficiency of the aerodynamics.  A large amount of time and resource is spent by F1 teams on optimising the aerodynamic design.  Modern F1 cars are powered by fully hybrid systems that have multiple cooling requirements.  Each F1 car has many fluid coolers, all designed to operate in the temperature range required for the particular system. Obviously, these have to be fed by an internal airflow.  Unfortunately, this is detrimental to the aerodynamic performance of the car and hence is minimised as far as possible.

Because of the extreme packaging and high under-body temperatures, there are also many other components that require an airflow to cool them.  These include the clutch, hydraulic system assemblies, engine throttle operation and control sensors for the gearbox.  This airflow is again detrimental to the performance of the car. It is therefore very important to provide only the amount of air that is absolutely necessary to cool each component and ensure that it is directed correctly.

Carbon fibre composite pipework can be used to provide this ‘auxiliary cooling’ however, for the reasons explained above, it is time consuming and difficult to do this in all cases.  Plus, even using the latest Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques, it is not possible to accurately predict all the flow requirements.  This means that an experimental approach also has to be taken and many cooling components will require change after initial track testing.

3D printed components are therefore extensively used for this application.  They can be quickly produced to suit virtually any geometry and new versions can be created to provide better optimised solutions following testing.  The main limitations are the maximum operating temperature of current materials and of course the weight.

In one of our next insights we’ll will describe an innovative way to resolve the limitations of the 3D printed parts with the use of 3D printed washouts tooling for composites manufacturing.

If you have a requirement for any composite pipework for motorsport applications be it manufacture, design or both please feel free to contact us.

The Application of 3D Printed High-Performance Polymers in Motorsport and Formula One

Formula One (F1) and Motorsport Teams exploit 3D printing technology for both the development process and directly for vehicle components. Many 3D printed components are used for the aerodynamic model that is fundamental to the performance development process undertaken in the wind-tunnel. However, this article will focus on the 3D printed components used on the race car itself.

F1 and motorsport teams are well known for exploiting materials to produce lightweight components and structures. They are always quick to exploit new technologies. 3D printed polymer components have been used for many years and laser sintered metallic parts are now also being used. The focus here is on the use of engineering polymer materials, the scope of which has increased as materials and manufacturing techniques have developed.

Carbon fibre composites provide high strength and light weight. F1 teams attempt to use them in the construction of as many vehicle components as possible to minimise vehicle weight. However, there are limitations to this technology. Parts are labour intensive and time consuming to produce, because they require multiple steps involving design, tooling and mould production prior to manufacture of the final part. Some components are particularly difficult or impossible to produce because of their geometry. An alternative is to use 3D printed parts.

Because of the extreme time pressures in F1 and the very compressed development, design and manufacturing schedules, there is often not time to produce carbon fibre composite components for the start of the test and race season. 3D printed components are particularly useful during this time, when they are used for many components that may latterly be substituted for carbon composite versions when time allows.

Examples of these components include bracketry for supporting pipework and electrical components, plus small aerodynamic components such as winglets. There are many bracket type components on a race car that play an important part in ensuring the reliability of the different sub-systems. Because of their number and often complex geometry, resulting from tight packaging constraints, 3D printing is ideally suited to their production. 3D printing also allows aerodynamic components to be introduced to the car in the minimum time-frame, hence gaining a performance advantage as early as possible.

The next article will the explore the ways ducting and pipework applications can be made in lengthy and complex shapes due to tool-less manufacturing with 3D printed processes.

If you have a requirement for bespoke lightweight components for motorsport applications be it manufacture, design or both please feel free to contact us.