3D Consultancy is here to help!

As we enter the peak motorsport season there is a big push to complete car design and build.  So, this is a reminder of all the services that we can offer to support your car build programmes.  We can help navigate any pinch points with skilled design and engineering resource ready to deploy, plus development and end use car parts delivered in rapid turnaround.

COMPOSITE DESIGN & PRODUCTION

• Design and development of composite components;
• Production of composite components including sustainable materials such as flax composites (refer to our Materials Guide for further information).;
• Design of composite bodywork and aerodynamic components, including wings and underbody parts;
• Composite duct and pipework design and production using a variety of techniques, including wash-out tooling;
• Development of composite laminate procedures and creation of laminate manuals to ensure adherence to the design specification; and
• Design and production of composite bonding and trim jigs.

DESIGN ENGINEERING

• 3D CAD design of composite and mechanical components;
• Generation of parametric surfaces for aerodynamic development;
• 3D Scanning and Reverse Engineering, from individual component to chassis & whole vehicle; and
• Scan to CAD speciality with industry leading post processing tools enabling quick 3D entity output for designers to work effectively from, right through to full 3D Model delivery in native software of choice (Siemens NX, Catia V5, SolidWorks) with editable feature trees.

TURNKEY COMPOSITE SOLUTIONS

Brake ducts DFAM with our advanced composite materials 3D Printing Materials Guide for very low volume and fast car parts or composites, direct tooling design, with lay-up manual/drawings to support conventional moulding processes with pre-pregs Composites Materials Guide .

ADVANCED POLYMERS, COMPOSITE AND METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

• Carbon SLS: High young’s modulus & impact strength, fast turnaround available;
• Hybrid Carbon PEEK: Novel process combines long-fibre fabrics of carbon with high performance polymer powders to make long fibre composite parts amongst the stiffest, strongest, toughest composites available, more details here
• ULTEM: Excellent all-round mechanical properties including UL94 V-0 flame retardant;
• CE221: Excellent temperature & chemical resistance and surface quality. More details here;
• Metal AM: Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Titanium, Copper, Magnesium & Inconel available; and
• DFAM: Utilising digital design tools to design for additive manufacturing processes and hit production build rate for end use parts, cost targets and save weight & material.

Not only do we provide parts, we also function as a Solutions Consultants sourcing on demand to meet customer requirements.  For example, to achieve fast process, high performance, enhanced surface finish and best part economy.

We do this by selecting from the latest and most advanced technologies and processes available to give our customers exactly what they need across a whole car build even with large variations in specification and materials properties. We call on all manufacturing processes and often going hybrid if the application demands, as for example, delivered in this water thermostat housing shown below

This is a multi-process approach starting with SLM Additive Manufacturing in aluminium AlSi10Mg, then heat treatment, sandblasting, anodising, finishing with CNC machining for precision holes, and threads & groove detailing to get the best quality and performance result for the customer.

ABOUT US 

The 3D Consultancy are a one stop shop for design, engineering, and production of 3D printed and composite components for motorsport applications.

If you have a technical challenge with very tight deadlines that require exacting specifications and an agile working approach to achieve results, then give us a call on 0203 092 4429 or send us an email enquiries@3d-consultancy.com or visit our website for more information.

Following on from our recent new addition CE 221, Carbon Fibre PEEK also produces similar advanced mechanical properties ideally suited for more small to medium sized components. This is a welcome addition to the 3D Printing Materials catalogue given we can now offer the most advanced composite additive manufacturing solutions to cover all part geometries and sizes for best results using this new process alongside our existing FDM and DLS technologies.

Composite-based additive manufacturing technology is the only process that combines long-fibre fabrics of carbon with high performance polymer powders to make long fibre composite parts.

How does powder-based composite 3D printing work?

The technology uses high-speed inkjet printing methods to produce high-performance composite parts without tooling or messy resins.

Powder-based 3D composite produces some of the stiffest, strongest, toughest composites available and can replace a variety of materials in a wide range of applications.

The resulting part surface is slightly grained. Previously we were only able to offer lower quality surface finishes with PEEK (where the most advanced mechanical properties were required) using an FDM process due to the 0.3mm layer height and difficult post processing of the material.

The consolidated laminate process geometries of Cabon Fibre PEEK that are more solid and have less depth in z axis provide the best use opportunities and part economies on very low part counts (as opposed to hollow, more shell, enclosure type geometries).

Why choose Carbon Fibre PEEK?

• True carbon fibre composite
• High tensile strength
• Excellent temperature performance (melting point 340ºC)
• High strength-to-weight ratio
• Superior wear and abrasion resistance
• Compatible with autoclave sterilisation
• Chemical resistance (organics, acids and bases)
• Fine surface finish
• Excellent flatness
• Exceptional part tolerances
• Machinable and paintable

Typical Applications

• Aerospace
• Drones
• Automotive
• Tooling
• Structural parts
• Weight reduction
• Metal replacement
• Propellers and spinning geometries
• Industrial tooling
• Gears and bell cranks
• Impellers and connectors
• High temperature surface mount tool

About Us

The 3D Consultancy are an engineering led design and manufacturing consultancy providing technical solutions utilising advanced manufacturing technologies and CAD/ 3D Scanning digital processes.

If you have a technical challenge with very tight deadlines that require exacting specifications and an agile working approach to achieve results, then give us a call on 0203 092 4429 or send us an email enquiries@3d-consultancy.com or visit our website for more information.

About the CTS Show more details here

About the MIA more details here

About 3DC:

The 3D Consultancy is an engineering led design and manufacturing consultancy providing technical solutions utilising advanced 3D scanning, 3D printing/additive manufacturing and CAD digital processes using the latest materials and processes, with industry leading expertise in composite materials technologies.

For more details about our services and to discuss your engineering project requirements please get in touch or visit us at the CTS Show.

Britain leads the world in efforts to extract carbon from the air as countries seek technology to slow climate change, experts have said.

Machines that suck carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air and power stations that capture emissions from burning trees could become the biggest growth industry for the UK. Scientists have said that Britain is a global frontrunner in CO₂ removal technologies and is well placed because removed CO₂ could be stored in old North Sea oilfields.

The energy company Drax hopes to build a “bioenergy with carbon capture and storage” (Beccs) plant near Selby, burning trees, grass and other biomass to generate electricity, then capturing the CO₂ and piping it under the North Sea.

“There’s potentially a big growth industry story for the UK, because the world is probably going to need lots of CO₂ removals. The UK is thinking on the front foot about it,” said Steve Smith at Oxford University, whose international team publishes a study in January 2023 that finds humanity is removing about two billion tonnes of CO₂ a year from the atmosphere. However, he said that 99.9 per cent of that was from tree-planting and managing soils, with new technologies accounting for only 0.1 per cent. He said Britain also had the skilled workers, regulatory environment and infrastructure to do “really well” at deploying CO₂ removal technologies.

The UN’s climate science panel said last year that the world would need to increase the use of such technologies to meet climate change goals. The latest study found that meeting even the Paris agreement’s goal of holding global temperature rises below 2C would require today’s CO₂ removal technologies to increase 1,300-fold by 2050. Jan Minx, at the Mercator Research Institute in Berlin, one of the study’s authors, said: “We need to aggressively develop and scale up CO₂ removal.”

Separately, an investigation into one of the leading carbon offset standards found that 94 per cent of its offsets were unlikely to have delivered carbon reductions.

The analysis into Verra by The Guardian, the German weekly Die Zeit and the non-profit SourceMaterial concluded that many credits approved by the organisation and bought by companies including Disney, Gucci and Shell were in effect worthless. Verra disputed the conclusions and the methodology underpinning them.

Current approaches on how to capture carbon include: 

Direct air capture and storage

Machines that use fans to suck in air and chemicals to capture and store CO₂ have become the poster child of removal technologies. Greta Thunberg has visited facilities built by the Swiss company Climeworks, which opened Orca in Iceland, the world’s biggest direct air capture plant, in 2021.

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (Beccs)

Beccs is the latest technology for removing CO₂, thanks to a plant in Illinois where plants capture CO₂ as they grow, so capturing and storing the CO₂ released when burning them.

Biochar

Burn wood or other biomass at a high temperature without oxygen and you create biochar, a carbon-rich, charcoal-like material that can then be buried. Proponents argue it can also increase crop yields.

The 3D Consultancy is currently working with our British client to help develop and prove the effectiveness of Carbon Capture processes.

ABOUT US

The 3D Consultancy are an engineering led design and manufacturing consultancy providing technical solutions utilising CAD digital processes, advanced 3D printing/additive manufacturing, and 3D scanning.

If you have a technical challenge with very tight deadlines that require exacting specifications and an agile working approach to achieve results, then give us a call on 0203 092 4429 or send us an email enquiries@3d-consultancy.com or visit our website for more information.

An example of such a challenge is how do we produce a key cooling system component to short lead times and exacting specifications at a competitive price? Many endurance racing parts are produced each winter for car builds with limited time and opportunities for development and testing.

With this Thermostat housing the current process was manufacturing by CNC machining and the main reason to use AM for this application is to get rid of some constraints related to machining (like undercuts) and allow for a better routing of the water flow reducing the pressure drop across the thermostat.

Our customer had very tight deadlines to work with, so we immediately got to work with an initial consultation to get requirements and CAD data fast from the customer so we could confirm if AM was feasible and the best method. Then came fast collaborations with our supply chain to ensure the customers challenging delivery dates and requirements were met.

We found that for the part build AM was the right choice, we still needed other conventional methods to complete the job. A multi-process approach was decided, starting with SLM Additive Manufacturing in aluminium AlSi10Mg, with heat treatment, sandblasting, anodising, finishing with CNC machining for precision holes, threads & groove detailing.

As this was a development part likely to change after first off parts were produced AM was clearly the right choice – CNC machining may have been more cost viable on 4+ parts.

The part was successfully delivered on time for the car build.  There were however further benefits found with the ability to adapt a standard part (the thermostatic valve) to required application and installation, along with reductions in cost and complexity.  The part  ultimately passed its endurance test at the 24 hours of Le Mans with a podium position.

Housing of the water thermostat, part of the cooling system on the Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) 007C Le Mans Hypercar (LMH)

ABOUT US

The 3D Consultancy are an engineering led design and manufacturing consultancy providing technical solutions utilising CAD digital processes, advanced 3D printing/additive manufacturing, and 3D scanning.

If you have a technical challenge with very tight deadlines that require exacting specifications and an agile working approach to achieve results, then give us a call on 0203 092 4429 or send us an email enquiries@3d-consultancy.com or visit our website for more information.

The challenge for the system is that during braking, kinetic energy is converted into heat due to friction. In this process, if some of the components cannot dissipate this heat quickly, they tend to overheat and possibly fail.

Material choice plays a large role in providing the required solution. All the Brake Ducts can be manufactured using the High Temperature and the Low Temperature prepreg – see Composites Materials Guide (3d-consultancy.com)

The operating temperatures and mechanical loads of the Brake Ducts inlets present an excellent opportunity to use additive manufacturing technologies, as they have complex geometries that would be more challenging to tool and mould. Here is our full AM materials range (3D Printing Materials Guide (3d-consultancy.com) including our market leading Carbon SLS reinforced being the material of choice with its excellent stiffness, strength and higher temp resistance material properties.

Our wealth of knowledge in the design and manufacture of Brake Duct systems, tooling design and resin systems enables us to select the correct material for each component based on specific mechanical, aerodynamic, thermal and packaging requirements.

We have successfully designed complete Brake Duct systems and utilised these technologies and solutions in high-end motorsport endurance environment. We can support the design and manufacture of efficient brake systems with the aim to achieve multiple design objectives and the balancing of aerodynamics and brake cooling.

Brake duct system on the Scuderia Cameron Glickehnhaus (SCG) 007C Le Mans Hypercar (LMH)

ABOUT US

The 3D Consultancy are an engineering led design and manufacturing consultancy providing technical solutions utilising CAD digital processes, advanced 3D printing/additive manufacturing, and 3D scanning.

If you have a technical challenge with very tight deadlines that require exacting specifications and an agile working approach to achieve results, then give us a call on 0203 092 4429 or send us an email enquiries@3d-consultancy.com or visit our website for more information.

The Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) is the world’s leading trade association for the motorsport, high performance engineering, services and tuning sectors.

In an industry that is constantly having to deal with rapid development, it’s role is to globally represent and support the specialised needs of members.

The MIA have over 250 members operating across an international network of business contacts.

Collectively, member companies transact more than £5 billion of motorsport business worldwide and this network continues to grow.

The MIA is the only Accredited Trade Organisation (ATO) for motorsport, in partnership with the Department for International Trade (DIT), it delivers international trade activities on every continent.

Members also go to the MIA for investment, funding and export advice

About the CTS Show more details here

About the MIA more details here

About 3DC:

The 3D Consultancy is an engineering led design and manufacturing consultancy providing technical solutions utilising advanced 3D scanning, 3D printing/additive manufacturing and CAD digital processes using the latest materials and processes, with industry leading expertise in composite materials technologies.

For more details about our services and to discuss your engineering project requirements please get in touch or visit us at the CTS Show.

Manufacturing method and materials

While the initial aim for any product developer is realising a concept quickly to enable testing and demonstrations with project stakeholders, a compromise must be made for investing sufficient time to ensure that the proposed design solutions are easily manufacturable – something commonly referred to as Design for Manufacture (DFM). DFM has a heavy influence on the details in any design, however it can also impact external aesthetics, including: surface finish, whether it’s possible to manufacture the desired external forms and curves, or the number and location of visible “shut lines” on the exterior of a product. It’s interesting to think how these two phenomena in the evolution of product aesthetics, with modern manufacturing technologies and expertise enabling significant improvements in both

The major milestone in DFM is choosing which manufacturing methods to use. Considerations for enclosure component manufacturing methods (and also materials) will include:

• Size, loads and stresses
• Methods of internal component mounting (external panels and frame vs monocoque, for example)
• Adaptability or ease of modification (if a prototype)
• Speed of design or manufacture
• Material availability
• Dirt and dust traps – ease of cleaning
• Conductivity
• Corrosive properties and fluid compatibility
• Available finishes (e.g., paint)
• Cost

In cases where parts are highly stressed, it can be important to assess mechanical performance of components during the prototype stage by using (or closely replicating) the production manufacturing processes. An example of this is cast parts – under high stress, the mechanical performance of a cast part vs a CNC-machined equivalent can be the difference between a part failing or not. While investing in casting tools is expensive, lost-wax sand casting can be used to cost effectively create a cast component that will perform similar to a mass-produced part. In the case of plastic components, rapid prototyping is an excellent choice for manufacturing products that will be injection moulded or vacuum formed in production.

Assembly

Design for Assembly (DFA) is a process often reduced to the aim of minimising the number of parts to ease assemble and reduce overall cost, but this is not always true (and just the tip of the iceberg). DFA involves the careful planning and selection of assembly methods to minimise both labour time and part cost. It includes not only the initial build but any subsequent maintenance and rebuild requirements.

Alternative fastenings including snap-fit fittings or adhesive bonding should be considered – this up-front investment in innovation can make a significant difference to the product cost and business overheads. All fastenings are load bearing and therefore to choose the right fasteners we consider: load, aesthetics, corrosion resistance (e.g., galvanic corrosion in salt water environments), as well as the use of special fastener types (e.g., torx or bespoke fasteners) which can be used to denote maintenance-only access points.

It is often pertinent to use the skills and perspectives of assembly technicians during DFA to identify potential issues and help determine efficient solutions. At 3DC, we often do this via a Virtual Build review which involves running through the assembly process using 3D CAD models with our in-house and customer build teams. This serves to review access during assembly but is also a quality control exercise where clashes between components are checked.

The final component of DFA must also include a review of part tolerances to ensure that under all manufacturing error margins the parts can still be assembled. Here, skilled designers will apply Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (a standardised system for defining engineering tolerances) in order to ensure that, not only will the parts fit, but that tight manufacturing tolerances that incur higher costs are avoided wherever possible.

The 3D Consultancy is an engineering led design and manufacturing consultancy providing technical solutions utilising advanced 3D scanning, 3D printing/additive manufacturing and CAD digital processes using the latest materials and processes, with industry leading expertise in composite materials technologies.

If you have a technical challenge with very tight deadlines that require exacting specifications and an agile working approach to achieve results, then please contact us.

Environmental protection

Environmental protection is a key consideration of enclosure design. For the individual parts, corrosivity and resistance to abrasion or potential misuse affects the material choice. For the system, seals must be designed to prevent ingress into any areas not protected from corrosion or parts containing electronics as well as ingress or egress of, for example, gases, noises, odours and even electromagnetic radiation. Environmental design should also consider the importance of eliminating dirt and dust traps and ease of cleaning, and how the product could be damaged by the consumption of a foreign object.

Safety and user protection

For enclosure safety we generally consider limiting access to certain areas, for example, to prevent a user from touching high temperature or high voltage components. We should also consider manual handling weight and the need to incorporate lifting handles to encourage proper lifting technique.

Routing of services

Routing of harnesses, cables and pipes is functionality associated with the enclosure design and a well-thought-out routing of electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic services makes all the difference when it comes to assembly, durability and maintenance. Examples of the most effective routing solutions are found in nature’s organic structures. Having system schematics is critical here.

Electronics

Considerations in electronics enclosures include heat dissipation, electrical isolation, creepage (in high voltage systems) and electromagnetic noise and interference – where sensitive equipment and high-voltage AC power supplies are combined – is often of great importance in testing or laboratory equipment.

Detailed mechanical design

The enclosure’s mechanical design could feature any number of considerations depending on the product features and functions. At the very least and as with any engineering design, consideration of forces and stresses on materials is essential. Other common mechanical design considerations are:

• Mechanical isolation to reduce loading on components
• Thermal management and ventilation
• Electrical grounding and isolation
• Noise: limiting propagation of internal noise from the product, cooling fans, etc.

Enclosure breakdown for maintenance, transportability and packaging

How the product will be packaged during shipment to the purchasing customer should be considered at this stage. This will often have an impact on the placement of external components and the overall breakdown of the assembly as this requirement overlaps with any considerations for disassembly during service or maintenance.

About us 

The 3D Consultancy is an engineering led design and manufacturing consultancy providing technical solutions utilising advanced 3D scanning, 3D printing/additive manufacturing and CAD digital processes using the latest materials and processes, with industry leading expertise in composite materials technologies.

If you have a technical challenge with very tight deadlines that require exacting specifications and an agile working approach to achieve results, then please contact us.