The role of 3D printing in the field of race car manufacturing and tuning

3D printing is a tool-free manufacturing process that is the perfect companion for motorsports. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on new molds or dealing with a backlog of products that are now obsolete, 3D printing can help you modify your products quickly and flexibly to get to market faster.

It also increases design freedom and provides the ability to customize products to satisfy your imagination. Build complex shapes such as lattices without increasing costs, helping you achieve low-volume production and custom parts quickly and cost-effectively.

1. It provides a solution for the lightweight of racing cars.

In a sport where speed, weight loss and development cycle are critical, teams strive to lose every gram. 3D printing can be done by topology optimization and the selection of lightweight materials.

Ferrari used metal 3D printing to manufacture the engine pistons, and in order to be able to better resist deformation and not break in extreme temperatures, the company wanted to abandon the aluminum alloy and use a steel alloy for manufacturing, which could lead to an increase in weight, but after topology optimization, the part was designed with a grid design to reduce weight and maintain the strength of the part.

2. Use 3D printing to quickly design iteration

Sauber Alfa Romeo uses 3D printing to manufacture and test its brake inlet designs, which allows them to iterate on multiple inlet ideas faster than traditional manufacturing and helps them explore more high-performance materials. While enjoying the flexibility and speed offered by 3D printing, they also discovered designs that ensure the best performance of the car.

Hartley Engines has been designing, developing and manufacturing racing engines. They used 3D printing to create the engine’s intake manifold and sensing parts, and instead of simply machining a round hole in a plate, they made extremely complex curves and shapes that matched the CAD model of the cylinder head.

Thanks to 3D printing, Hartley Engines can quickly customize custom engine designs and components for customers, greatly improving design and production efficiency.

3. 3D printing molds and test pieces

Williams Racing, one of the famous F1 teams, has been using 3D printing to create the front wings and other components for testing during wind tunnel testing.

McLaren’s display of the rear wing flap, the layup tool used to mould carbon fibre reinforced composites, is 3D printed, allowing McLaren to quickly change track-specific downforce requirements to ensure his car performs at its best.

Protosoon has various types of industrial-grade 3D printing equipment, which can support the printing of a variety of materials (nylon, metal, carbon brazing, etc.) and technology (SLA, SLS, SLM, MJF, etc.) at reasonable prices and reliable quality. Contact us today to get started on your next project.