CREAT3D Case Study
With Additive Manufacturing, the race team are able to produce same-day, brackets and components for race cars, as well as pit garage tools, fixtures and fittings.
"Having SLS in-house gives us the speed and flexibility to see a problem, fix it, print it and within day or two, have a physical solution in our hands. It benefits us as an innovative race team, but also encourages us to scale up and go to market with new products to generate new revenue opportunities” ”
Simon Robotham, Engineer & Head of Special Operations
> ABOUT JOTA SPORT
JOTA Sport is a British sports car racing team with innovation and performance at the heart of the company’s ethos to achieve a competitive edge. Founded in 2000, JOTA Sport is renowned for racing, successfully competing and winning podiums in the FIA World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 hours. Based on their motorsport expertise, the company also provides engineering solutions under their Special Operations unit to manufacturing firms
> THE PROBLEM
New 2023 Hypercar season regulations mean that all teams must have a pit lane camera to enable the regulatory body to monitor actions during pit-stops. The camera must be exactly positioned; 25° to the horizontal, in the middle of the car and 3m in the air. Positioning tolerances are exceptionally tight at 1° (2cm). There was no existing product or solution to this problem, and the fix had to be in place before the start of the season.
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> THE ADDITIVE SOLUTION
The solution was simple; to 3D print it. The team used their Formlabs Fuse to develop design iterations, to check tolerances and part performance. With one week of iterations, the team delivered the finished design. The race team then used their 3D printer to produce the high quality end-use bracket in just a single day.
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> OUTCOME OF ADDITIVE
JOTA continuously drive development, and Additive Manufacturing constitutes a large part of this capability. Since bringing SLS equipment in-house, JOTA have control over their own destiny. The engineers’ approach is if a part can be 3D printed, it will be 3D printed. The race team are able to produce same-day, brackets and components for race cars, as well as pit garage tools, fixtures and fittings. They also have the ability to batch produce components in realistic time scales to meet the typically very short motorsport deadlines.
Pit-lane Camera Mount
TRADITIONAL FABRICATION
Not possible at low volume or within 1-2 day turnaround
USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
End-use mount is 3D printed in Nylon 12 on the Fuse SLS system
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
In just 2 weeks, JOTA achieved 50% return on investment
TIME SAVING
End-use mount designed and produced within 1 week
