OBR Univeristy Team RPS
3D printing has helped Oxford Brookes Racing (OBR) University Team a second successive second place finish at the Formula Student Racing competition in Silverstone, UK.
The team, who partner with UK-based RPS, earned first place for Business Plan Presentation, second in Skidpad, and third in Endurance, while also maintaining its crown as the best placed UK university team. It was also the last time OBR raced in a combustion car before moving to an electric vehicle.
RPS offers guidance and 3D printed car parts, harnessing both its NEO800 stereolithography system and HP’s Multi Jet Fusion. It has enabled the students to play with more complex and intricate geometries, as well as save weight and reduce time.
Together, RPS and the Oxford Brookes Racing aerodynamics team printed moulds which were suitable for carbon fibre layup on the NEO800 with DSM’s PerFORM resin, which can withstand the heat and pressure of an autoclave. They were able to achieve superior sidewall quality and enhanced detail resolution. Laser sintering was also harnessed to produce lightweight, strong and stiff components in ALM’s PA 603-CF material, and Multi Jet Fusion was implemented to create complex internal and external structures in HP’s PA 12 material. OBR saved more than 50% in weight on the intake plenum compared to previous years, while they were able to lightweight the design of the steering wheel for this year’s car.
The continued use of 3D printing has allowed OBR to maintain its status as the top competing British university and a steady to platform to build on next year.
“Formula Student UK 2019 was a very special competition for Oxford Brookes Racing, this being the last run for a combustion car in its history books, pushing forward into the electric Future,” commented Alejandro Garcia, Head of Business Development at OBR. “The team faced many challenges along the way and many lessons were learned as the year progressed. At competition, this team demonstrated the true meaning of teamwork and union, by overcoming challenges and difficulties in some of the events.
“Oxford Brookes Racing is very grateful to RPS for their continued support, without a doubt this partnership gave OBR a massive opportunity for innovation and engineering improvement. The team is looking forward to keep pushing the barriers of innovation in the coming years along with RPS”
“At RPS we believe it is important to encourage and guide future graduates of STEM education and we are absolutely thrilled that the students at OBR came through with a fantastic result at the Formula Student competition this year,” Maria Fatialofa, Marketing Manager at RPS, said. “We could see the passion and enthusiasm from the students throughout the process and we are delighted to see how well they have showcased the capabilities and innovation of 3D printing in the development of their Formula Student car.”
