Nylon12CF

The Surrey-based McLaren Racing team, which has won 12 drivers’ and 8 constructors’ championships in Formula 1, is now using Stratasys 3D printing technologies to speed up design iterations and reduce the weight of its McLaren race car.

3D printed parts designed to improve the performance of the 2017 race car include a hydraulic line bracket, flexible radio harness bracket, carbon fiber composite brake cooling pipes and a rear wing end plate.

The race car console was completed in four hours, compared to the estimated two-week production time for traditional manufacturing processes.

McLaren 3D printed the structural bracket for the hydraulic line mounting using a Stratasys Fortus 450mc 3D printer, using carbon fiber reinforced nylon material (FDM Nylon 12CF).

Similarly, a new two-way communication and data system was also included in the race car, but the cable was distracting to the driver. To eliminate this, McLaren took advantage of the Stratasys J750 3D printer’s ability to print flexible materials and produced a rubber-like material holder to bundle the communication system’s cable harnesses. Three design variations were created and 3D printed in a single day.

The large wing endplate at the rear of the race car, which increases rear downforce, is made of carbon fiber reinforced composite, using a tooling produced on an FDM-based Fortus 900mc 3D printer. The team completed the 36.5-inch wide, high-temperature (177°C) ULTEM™ 1010 resin mold 3D printing in three days for use in the autoclaved composite structure, saving the team time during the critical, limited testing period. Neil Oatley, McLaren Racing's Director of Design and Development, said: "We are constantly modifying and refining our Formula 1 race car designs, so the ability to quickly test new design variations is essential to making the car lighter and, even more so, increasing the number of tangible variations aimed at higher performance.

Dissolvable 3D printed tools for temperature control of racing car brake components

“Being able to introduce new developments to the car a race earlier, while turning a new idea into a new part in just a few days, is a key factor in McLaren’s competitiveness. By increasingly incorporating Stratasys 3D printing technology into our manufacturing processes – whether it’s producing finished parts, composites or even consumables like tooling – we can reduce lead times while still producing more complex parts.” To speed up the design and manufacturing cycle, the race team will also be using the Stratasys uPrint SE Plus on-site during testing and racing, allowing the team to produce parts and tools on demand.

To effectively control the temperature of brake components, McLaren is producing 3D printed soluble tools that are used to manufacture hollow composite brake cooling tubes. The washable core is 3D printed from soluble ST-130 material, developed specifically for this application. This is coated with a carbon fiber reinforced composite material and then autoclaved at high temperatures. The end result of the process is a tubular structure with an extremely smooth internal surface that ensures the necessary airflow to the brakes, while ensuring maximum aerodynamic and engine performance. Source: Stratasys; McLaren; theengineer.com; Autopro.hu. Images courtesy of McLaren and Stratasys. Learn more about the process, which has also been successfully used by McLaren Stratasys FDM 3D printersoh!