How can a race car achieve maximum speed while maintaining durability and high performance? The answer may lie in a groundbreaking manufacturing technology: metal 3D printing. This article takes you behind the scenes of the Lions Racing Team to explore how they have used this technology to create incredibly complex and efficient race car components.
Formula Student competition and the Lions Racing Team
Formula Student is an international automotive design competition where students from around the world design, build, and race small-scale F1 style race cars. The competition is not only a race for speed but also a platform for students to apply their knowledge, develop skills, and create innovative solutions.
The Lions Racing Team is a prominent team in the Formula Student competition, competing in the electric vehicle category. With a spirit of innovation and a passion for speed, team members are constantly seeking groundbreaking solutions to improve their race car's performance.
Formula Student plays a crucial role in nurturing talented engineers and introducing innovative solutions to race car design. The highly competitive nature of the competition drives teams to continually seek out new technologies to improve their vehicles, thus propelling the advancement of the automotive industry.
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The challenges of race car design and groundbreaking solutions
The racing industry is a relentless pursuit of optimal performance. Racing teams face immense challenges in designing and building race cars, as engineers must consider various factors:
- Optimizing performance: Every gram saved and every percentage increase in engine power can make a significant difference on the track. Engineers must find a balance between performance, durability, and weight.
- Durability: Race cars must withstand harsh conditions such as high temperatures, heavy impacts, and constant wear and tear. Vehicle components must be highly durable to complete the race.
- Engine cooling: Race car engines operate at extremely high temperatures. Effective engine cooling is essential to ensure the engine's stability and longevity. However, the cooling system must also be compact and lightweight.
Engineers have been constantly seeking groundbreaking technologies. In recent years, 3D printing has revolutionized many industries, including automotive. Recognizing the immense potential of this technology, the Lions Racing Team decided to apply metal 3D printing to the design and manufacturing of their race car components. Metal 3D printing allows engineers to freely create and design complex structures without worrying about manufacturing limitations.
Formula 1 car innovation with SLM 3D printing
The student-developed car features 4 electric motors located at the wheel hubs to transmit power to the tires through an integrated in-wheel gearbox. To limit heat buildup from these motors and operate them at higher performance, they are locally cooled.
SLM Metal 3D Printed Race Car Engine by Lions Racing Team
To control the temperature, a water cooling system is integrated into the vehicle, where coolant is spirally directed into each motor housing, absorbing heat from the electric motor and dissipating it into the passing airflow in the radiator. To improve cooling efficiency, engineers have focused on several key areas:
- Aluminum motor housing: Switching from a plastic motor housing to an aluminum one with higher thermal conductivity has enhanced heat transfer from the motor to the surrounding environment.
- Sealing: To achieve the primary goal of improving seals, O-ring grooves and a narrow gap between the motor and housing are required. The use of metal 3D printing has enabled the creation of precise O-ring grooves, ensuring a leak-proof system and preventing coolant leakage.
- Cooling channels: The cooling channel system is designed with a sophisticated spiral shape, maximizing coolant contact with the motor surface and enhancing cooling efficiency.
- Combined air cooling: In addition to the water cooling system, utilizing the airflow passing through the motor housing also contributes to reducing temperature.
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SLM Metal 3D Printed Race Car Engine by Lions Racing Team
While the standard design uses a plastic motor housing, the LR17 race car utilizes an aluminum housing manufactured using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) on an SLM 280 metal 3D printer. The use of aluminum also optimizes the performance of the O-rings (due to the similar thermal expansion coefficients of aluminum, the gap between the motor and housing remains consistent).
SLM 280 metal 3D printer information
Learn more about SLM 280
Impressive results achieved through metal 3D printing
The Lions team focused primarily on improving sealing, stabilizing connections for coolant tubes, and enhancing heat dissipation from the electric motor and water system.
Previously, plastic motor housings led to the failure of connecting pipes under light loads. With SLM metal 3D printing, this issue has been eliminated with a robust aluminum housing design. The wall thickness of the connecting pipes has been reduced, and the inner diameter increased. This reduces resistance in the water cooling system, increasing flow rate and overall cooling capacity.
Because there are four electric motors located at the wheel hubs and the corresponding motor housings are in direct contact with the airflow, an additional cooling effect is generated. Depending on the operating conditions and surroundings, the motor housing can provide an extra 250-500 watts of cooling capacity. This is equivalent to approximately 7% of the main cooling capacity of 7.5 kW across the two large radiators.
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The Future of Metal 3D Printing in the Automotive Industry
Thanks to SLM metal 3D printing, significant advancements have been made in the race car, including improved connection stability and enhanced heat dissipation, all while maintaining the same weight as the previous design. 3D printing is revolutionizing the automotive industry, bringing about profound changes:
- High customization: Creating complex components that are difficult to manufacture using traditional methods, such as frames, suspension systems, and interior parts.
- Lightweight and strong frames: 3D printing enables the creation of honeycomb or lattice structures that reduce weight while maintaining stiffness.
- Shorter product development cycles: Accelerating the time from design to production, allowing manufacturers to quickly bring new models to market.
- Reduced material waste: Utilizing only the necessary material, minimizing waste and costs.
- Improved performance: Producing high-precision components that enhance performance and durability.
- Rapid repair and maintenance: Quickly printing replacement parts using cold spray technology, minimizing vehicle downtime.
In the future, with the ability to create complex, customizable, and cost-effective products, this technology will become increasingly prevalent. However, to fully realize its potential, continued investment in research and development, as well as the establishment of appropriate standards and regulations, is essential.
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Read the full case-study: LIONS RACING TEAM AND NIKON SLM SOLUTIONS
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