CREAT3D Case Study
MARKFORGED 3D PRINTERS EXCEED TRADITIONAL MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES
"Having the Markforged 3D printer in-house means that we can give every element on the car a design consideration from the start. Additive Manufacturing has enabled us to be risk takers, with more and better designs, but at lower risk."
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Bassel Ghazali, TBRe Business Manager, Engineering Student at the University of Bath
> ABOUT TEAM BATH RACING ELECTRIC
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Team Bath Racing Electric (TBRe) is an electric Formula Student team based out of the University of Bath’s Faculty of Engineering and Design. Formula Student is the world’s largest student engineering competition, with over 600 universities taking part worldwide. The team comprises of students from all academic years studying engineering, computer science and business, among other disciplines.
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TBRe is the UK’s best Formula Student team with an electric powertrain, having maintained the title since the 2017 competition. The team’s goal is to successfully design, build, and race an electric formula style car, continue to win races, whilst enhancing student learning, skill development and experience.
> CHALLENGE
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Produce a better performing car by enabling continuous design improvement with the freedom and speed to manufacture more complex designs.
> SOLUTION
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Incorporate the Markforged Mark Two CFF (Continuous Filament Fabrication) 3D printer into TBRe’s design and production workflows to produce end-use components and functional prototypes.
> RESULTS
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“With Markforged Additive Manufacturing equipment, the team have freedom to experiment with better designs, shortening and improving the design workflow by creating end prototypes and components” Bassel Ghazali, TBRe Business Manager
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> Overall 60kg weight reduction on the race car
> Design team changed workflow by enabling 3D printing to produce better designs, at lower risk & lower cost of development
> Improved track car performance with better designs
> Faster speed of improvement has enabled competitive advantage and a winning race car
> BENEFITS FROM ADDITIVE
Using the Markforged, 3D printing in Onyx with the reinforcement of Carbon Fibre, the design team 3D printed parts, as opposed to using traditional manfacturing, and saw immediate benefits:
> Light-weighting
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3D printing reduced the weight of a Tripod Retainer's weight to just 8.8g versus the original 88g machined part, whilst still fulfilling all performance criteria.
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> Improved Design
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With the design freedom of 3D printing, parts were re-designed to produce a better fit. Having the printer in-house also allowed faster design iteration and testing.
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> Fast Speed of Development
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The design team have design freedom to experiment with better designs, shortening and improving the design workflow. Now the team will take a design consideration from the car, and advance straight to 3D printing a component. Due to the low cost of failure, the designers will print a design, and within a few hours, immediately test the new part, with any iterations made at final stage.
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> Exceeding Traditional Manufacturing
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The Mark Two enables the TBRe design team to produce end-use parts that are beyond traditional manufacturing design limitations, through creating complex designs with enhanced functionalities, such as embedding nuts during the print process.
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Since incorporating Markforged Additive Manufacturing equipment in-house, TBRe have been able to move away from basic prototyping towards producing end-use components for the race car and also functional tooling, at a faster pace than traditional manufacturing methods. These improvements result in TBRe manufacturing a high-performing race car, continuing their winning streak on track and in design awards.
TRIPOD RETAINER
COMPONENT USE
The Tripod Retainer is one of four components fitted to the rear axle, forming part of the drivetrain system. The function of the retainer is two-fold: to retain the tripod joint within its housing, and to provide a clamping surface for the sealing boot. The part was previously machined in aluminium.
OUTCOME OF USING ADDITIVE
The retainer is now 3D printed in Onyx with Carbon Fibre reinforcement. The part has been completely redesigned and has a weight reduction of 88g to 8.8g.
"The Markforged Mark Two exceeds traditional manufacturing. With added functions like embedding nuts, we are able to produce better designs, faster. The team can take more risks in producing designs without limitations, and it means we are no longer reliant on machine shop schedule. The printer has changed our workflow and now life without it would be tough!”
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Bassel Ghazali, TBRe Business Manager
