A team of engineering students from TU Darmstadt developed an electric racing car with several 3D printed components for Formula Student 2017. The varsity is quite successful in this competition and finished in the TOP 10 last year, now the young engineers want to get even better results.
You should be able to do that with 3D printing, five components of the little speedster come out of the printer, in particular the steering shaft made of a special aluminum alloy was optimized through additive manufacturing, with only half the original weight.
“We completely redesigned the component and optimized it through numerous simulations in order to get the maximum weight savings – the combination of material and construction expertise together with the necessary know-how for 3D printing was a central aspect for this goal,” explains Tobias Caspari from Heraeus Additive Manufacturing.
The shaft weighs only 300g, is additively manufactured from a special aluminum alloy and is intended to give the team a time and weight advantage. In addition, the motor drive shaft is also 3D printed and, like all other components, could be reduced to half the mass.
The new car from the more than 10-year-old line of ancestors has two electric motors, each with an output of 55 kW (corresponds to approx. 75 hp). These bring the racer to a top speed of over 130 km/h with a total weight of 200kg.
The Racing Team of the TU Darmstadt
Those responsible at Heraeus are confident that the DART (Darmstadt Racing Team) will be successful with the new components, even if it is not enough for an improved placement. The event itself is also an opportunity to show which technology is already possible and how progress in production is being driven forward.
As one of the most important international competitions for engineering, more than 600 universities from 20 different countries are represented at the Formula Student 2017. All start with a specially built electric vehicle and demonstrate the expertise of their respective educational institute.
Want a weekly roundup of the most important 3D printing news? Register now for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to stay up to date!
