[EP2 — Engineered to perfection] 3D Printing & Topology Optimization vs. Race Machines.

3D printing is the act of turning a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file into reality and injecting life into it. You may use that 3D-printed part for decoration or as a toy, maybe a keychain if you want. However, how did 3D printing end up in mechanicals and racing to be precise? Well, it’s a long story.

There are several techniques used for metal 3D printing, 7 to be exact. SLM or selective laser melting is part of one of the more popular ones. It was first invented in 1995 by Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and is widely used right now. 3D Printing was a small market with little growth, but now it is a business worth billions of dollars, and companies like HP and GE started investing heavily in the technology.

Investments in technology are growing rapidly, especially in the aerospace and motorsport industries, where it has more impact as of now. However, we’re not far from seeing the tech trickle down to consumer products.

Why 3D printing is important for racing?

If you’ve ever watched Formula 1 or the 24h of LeMans, you’ll know that weight is the enemy of a race car. Manufacturers and teams have constantly worked to reduce the dry weight of their vehicles by using advanced materials like composites and design optimizations. Still, more can be done.

Also, changing a design means updating your tooling which is not exactly convenient given that a racing team needs to be swift from the moment of deciding to do a redesign to have the part ready to install.

In comes Topology Optimisation (TO)

Dreaming about that perfect part that answers all the questions? Light, durable, and high performing? One way of getting there is topology optimization. It is a process of defining a mathematical objective function to maximize or minimize a targeted parameter.

Think of it as giving your computer all of the constraints you’re thinking of, and using a mathematical algorithm, you get a structure that is suitable to your specific loads, boundary conditions, and weight target.

At the end of the process, you’ll end up with an optimized hollow structure that can do the job at minimum expenses.

Topology optimization and 3D printing

Topology-optimized parts are generally complex to manufacture. That’s why 3D printing is the most adequate process to make them come to reality.

Bugatti and Czinger are one of the pioneer companies that started integrating 3D-printed parts into their cars. From suspension arms to gearbox housings and rear spoiler mounting brackets, you name it all.

Materials used range from aluminum to titanium and even ceramics. You can find spoiler brackets on the Bugatti Bolide that can support 800kgs of aerodynamic downforce, and brake calipers that can resist cycling thermal loads that reach 1000°C.

Meanwhile, on the Czinger 21C, most of the metal parts are 3D printed except for the suspension, powertrain, and other panels that are made using composites.

How do 3D-printed metal parts perform?

A good question it is. To answer this, I’ll leave you with the following video from Bugatti while performance testing their titanium 3D-printed brake calipers.

#EngineeredToPerfection