McGill Formula Electric is using the AON3D Hylo 3D printing system to redesign and manufacture parts for its vehicle architecture.
The Formula E team designs and builds a fully electric race car to compete in the Formula SAE Electric competition every year. Through this program, engineering students are tasked with developing high-performance vehicles while operating under strict budget and manufacturing constraints.
Unlike mass-produced vehicles, Formula SAE cars rely heavily on low-volume, custom components that evolve rapidly throughout the development cycle. Teams must constantly redesign and manufacture parts as the vehicle architecture matures through testing and validation.
With the AON3D Hylo, McGill Formula Electric is manufacturing end-use components in 'high-performance polymers with metal-like properties.' According to AON3D, the Hylo system has allowed the team to produce race-ready parts quickly and affordably, with the required mechanical, thermal, and fire-safety properties.
One application enabled by the AON3D Hylo has been a battery cell and PCB holder that is used inside the vehicle’s high-voltage accumulator (battery pack). The holder secures cylindrical battery cells while supporting a printed circuit board responsible for monitoring and control within the battery module.
Components located within the accumulator must maintain reliable mechanical retention while preserving electrical isolation and thermal stability. Because the system contains high-energy lithium cells, materials used in this environment must also demonstrate controlled flame behaviour and minimal emissions during a thermal event.
Conventional manufacturing methods require custom tooling or machined components, both of which introduce cost and lead-time challenges for parts that may require multiple design iterations during development. Meanwhile, the materials available to desktop 3D printers have often lacked the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties required for applications like this.
Using AON3D Hylo and ULTEM 9085, however, the McGill team was able to iterate and manufacture functional end-use battery holders capable of operating within the demanding environment of a high-voltage battery system.
With a tensile strength of 94 MPa, flexural strength of 129 MPa, and a heat deflection temperature of 169°C, ULTEM 9085 maintains structural integrity and dimensional stability under extreme vibrations, high mechanical loads, and operating temperatures up to 60 °C.
In addition, UL94 V-0 flame retardancy helps prevent flame propagation in the event of a battery thermal incident, while extremely high volume resistivity (>6.89 × 10¹⁵ Ω·cm) ensures reliable electrical isolation near energised components.
