In 2021, NASCAR unveiled its next gene platform with a number of rule changes compared to the previous iteration. Now completely symmetrical and with the help of composite body panels instead of metal, the newest NASCAR vehicles look more like the street versions of the Chevrolet Camaro, the Ford Mustang and the Toyota TRD Camry.
Racing car -driving is not a cheap sport, and one of the goals for the next gene platform was to lower operating costs and create parity across the board. Technology chassis, the only chassis manufacturer for the Nascar Cup series, is building a modular range in three parts. As a result, everyone starts with the same platform and finding a competitive advantage is in the smallest details.
A smart way to distinguish the competition are 3D-printed parts. But this is not the 3D printing of your hobbyist level.
Additive production, also known as 3D printing
Stratasys in Minnesota-based Stratasys specializes in ‘additive manufacturing’, the process of making an object by building one layer at the same time. Strathesys Senior Global Director of Automotive & Mobility Fadi Abro explains that this term is synonymous with 3D printing. However, the industry often retains that description at HobbyN level on smaller, non-industrial printers, while additive production represents robust industrial solutions.
Additive production is the exact reverse of subtractive production, for which the cutting of a solid piece of material must be removed to achieve an end product. In art terms, additive production would be like sculpting with model clay, while it resembles cutting a shape from a block of marble. Because it relates to NASCAR, Stratasys offers parts such as channels, lids, brackets and hose. Together with the Race organization, Stratasys assesses the current needs of the driver and makes recommendations for other parts and adjustments.
Right: 3D-printed parts on display in glass cupboard at Stratasys.
Images: Stratasys
Not long ago, the standard process for making participations in CNC (computer numerically controlled) production, which relates to the automated operation of machine tools. CNC is a subtractive process that, according to AURO, is more limiting than additive production.
“You get much more design freedom,” he says. “If you cut in a block, you cannot make a bend of 90 degrees, and that limits your shapes and designs. You have to turn the block or move the block or the block of angle, and sometimes you can’t get to the corner. We always say that complexity is free with the additive process, while in the more traditional methods complexity can really increase the price and the lead time, because the design elements make it a lot harder. ”
The type of printers stratasys -builds are also not the type you buy in your local electronics store. Every industrial 3D printer costs everywhere from $ 20,000 to $ 600,000. The use of this type of equipment is not without a precedent and builds 3D parts on SEMA’s annual Extravaganza functions that we had not dreamed of a few years ago.
Last year, called a small store Blazin bars In Orange County, California used 3D printing to the “Doughboy,” A heavily adapted Chevrolet Chevelle from 1970. Digitally designed in CAD, the entire Chevelle was scanned and equipped with adapted 3D parts, including carbon fiber radiator channels and stores for heat exchanger, integrated air ducts and trunk cover.
The bet on the Chevelle has paid off. SEMA has awarded Blazin Rodz the best developed Vehicle of the Year Award for his exceptional engineering.
The next border in 3D printing
Stratasys has played a role in recent months, signed an extension of his 20-year partnership with the Joe Gibbs Racing team and earning the title of “Official 3D print partner of Nascar.” The competition for this market, however, continues to warm up, because there are startups and legacy companies that push hard. There are plenty of 3D print companies all over the world.
Stratasys has one important factor on the side: 35 years of experience. What is new is that today’s printing is more accurate, it is faster, the materials are more robust, Abro says.
“I think what has changed dramatically over the past five to seven years, it is all about material development,” he explains. “We see materials that are simply incredible, whether it is how resistant to heat they are or how strong they are compared to how much they weigh.”
He expects that the next limit will go over the transit, or how quickly the printer can print.
“If you need a hundred different versions of something, you don’t want a hundred printers next to each other,” says Abro. “You want to get the five to ten printers that you have printed faster. How fast can you make a part that is still accurate, still strong, all the other things that the customer cares about, but faster? ”
NASCAR clearly gives speed on all fronts, and 3D printing allows the racing organization to quickly test and make new components. Abra tells the story about snake that did not fully fit the rest of the components on a Joe Gibbs Racing car. Stratasys have printed a custom fixture for the tube that should have fitted on paper perfectly, but it didn’t. As a result, JGR went back to his seller to report a problematic part.
In the past, the worst scenario might have been to hammer the part until it fitted. But more likely, the team would be obliged to edit something with the help of a CNC, which would have meant a lot of programming and wasted materials. It is very expensive and requires skilled work and time, scarce goods.
“The thing that these teams never have is extra time,” says Abdo.
Many of the 3D-printed parts that Joe Gibbs Racing uses are channels. The airflow direction is incredibly important, because some cars have to use the air from air to create downforce at certain times to slide out and sliding on the track. Air is also focused on the engine to cool it. Sometimes air is needed to cool the driver. And sometimes the driver wants to use air to make dragging to make a sharp turn.
“It’s better, faster, cheaper,” says Abro. “It is faster to print something than to grind, and then it is certainly cheaper in a large number of different ways. Number one, not much skill is needed for 3D printing as in CNC editing; You need a more traditional production method. “
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