{"id":186746,"date":"2025-10-09T00:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T00:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/186746\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T00:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T00:28:09","slug":"why-f1-teams-are-using-3d-printing-to-win-the-race-between-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/186746\/","title":{"rendered":"Why F1 teams are using 3D printing to win the \u2018race between races\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n \"Aston
\n <\/a>
\n Aston Martin Aramco F1 engineers use additive manufacturing to produce parts and components overnight (Credit: AMR GP) <\/p>\n


\n For Formula One drivers, the race finishes as they pass the chequered flag. But for engineers, another race starts as soon as a Grand Prix ends. The \u2018race between races\u2019 to design, test and install incremental improvements is as fast-paced and competitive as the events themselves, with teams using cutting-edge technology to get ahead of the pack. \n <\/p>\n

Today, additive manufacturing is a key part of that arsenal. Wind tunnel testing of 3D-printed components was the first main application, says James Short, application engineer for industrial 3D printing specialist Stratasys, which works with F1 teams including Aston Martin Aramco and McLaren.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wind tunnel testing is to check all the aerodynamics for new designs, to make sure that they’re performing as they need them,\u201d says Short, who will be speaking at an upcoming IMechE webinar on the topic<\/a>\u00a0alongside Aston Martin Aramco engineers.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraditionally, manufacturing wind tunnel test models can be very expensive and very slow. But in order to achieve extremely high surface finish, so you don’t impact the way the air travels across your surface, that’s where additive manufacturing \u2013 and specifically stereolithography (SLA)<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 lends its value because of its extremely high surface finish. What they require from an additive manufacturing tool is that it’s very smooth and very rigid.\u201d<\/p>\n

That capability has been provided by \u201cquite basic\u201d photopolymer materials, Short says, but new composite materials such as Somos PerFORM<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 also printed by the company\u2019s Neo printers \u2013 can provide better rigidity and surface smoothness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re able to produce these very large, very smooth wind tunnel test models, so it cuts down the cost and the labour involved,\u201d Short says. \u201cWith F1, they’re iterating so quickly that they need to have these tools produce as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether it is between races or between seasons, F1 teams are \u201calways iterating\u201d, adds Stratasys F1 account manager Shaun Cooper. \u201cTime is quite short for these guys\u2026 being able to turn around iterations as quickly as possible helps with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

That need for speed means teams always want \u201cthe best and the newest\u201d technologies, he adds. More recent uses include fused deposition modelling (FDM) printers<\/a>\u00a0and thermoplastic materials for advanced tooling applications, such as producing mandrels for complex pipe work.<\/p>\n

The wide range of applications has seen significant uptake of 3D printing technologies, Short says, with McLaren F1 using SLA technology to produce more than 9,000 components each year. \u201cIt\u2019s integral to the entire start-to-finish design production workflow,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Some aerodynamics teams have sped up projects by 25-30% using advanced new printers, Cooper adds.<\/p>\n

Getting on track<\/p>\n

As with the wider automotive sector and other industries such as aerospace and defence, the Stratasys engineers say they are seeing a push for \u2018end-use\u2019 parts in the vehicles themselves. Made of polymers or elastomers, additively manufactured components can offer high-performance alternatives for low-volume parts.<\/p>\n

Although Short is unable to mention specific parts being used in F1 due to competition between teams, he highlights 3D-printed air-intake manifolds used in Nascar. The parts are suited for additive manufacturing because metal tooling would be \u201cextremely costly\u201d for a run of just 30-40 parts, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the face of it, additive can appear to be quite expensive. We’re talking about very expensive systems and materials that are high cost. But the savings that these teams make in the turn around of their production \u2013 being able to test parts in the wind tunnel far faster than they previously would have done \u2013 there’s an inherent cost saving there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then by having the access to this, to a more advanced form of production where you don’t have to consider the constraints of traditional tooling or moulding, you’re really able to produce more complex, more organic designs. That then opens up weight savings, so you can produce parts that are lighter for the vehicle, and therefore your performance on the track goes up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pace of the \u2018race between races\u2019 also spurs Stratasys to improve its technology, with introduction of new materials a major area of interest at F1 teams. \u201cThey’re constantly throwing us feedback, asking for new kinds of requirements that they want the materials to give them,\u201d Cooper says. \u201cReally high level, we will have a touch on all the teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Short looks to a different industry for an example of how F1 might evolve. Airbus now uses over 4,000 parts made with Stratasys 3D printers per aircraft, he says. \u201cI see the same thing happening in the future with F1. I can see a world where a significant percentage of the components on a vehicle are additively manufactured, especially when we look at new materials that we bring into the market, like our silicone material, which allows people to produce O-rings and gaskets in very complex geometries,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have electronic housing materials that have ESD (electrostatic discharge) properties that you would then be able to produce extremely lightweight, bespoke component brackets, and that’s what we’ve seen Airbus really focus on, larger numbers of bespoke components. That’s where I think we’ll see F1 pushing in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen really the limitation is the technology itself, and who knows where we\u2019ll be in 10 years? There’s a world where we might be seeing printers that are hybrid models, where you’re able to produce an additive part and then combine it with a composite within the process. There\u2019s a lot that could happen down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside Aston Martin Aramco Formula One: The Race Between Races<\/a> takes place online on 22 October. Find out more and register for free now<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? The\u00a0Professional Engineering\u00a0newsletter\u00a0gives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, click\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Aston Martin Aramco F1 engineers use additive manufacturing to produce parts and components overnight…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":186747,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[1687,372,6537,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-186746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-f1","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}