Additive manufacturing materials and services supplier CRP Technology has significantly contributed to the creation of MoRe Modena Racing‘s 2024 hybrid race car.
The vehicle, named M24-LH, was crafted as part of a two-year technical collaboration between CRP Technology and the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia team. This innovative car includes essential aerodynamic and structural elements made using CRP’s specialized Windform materials.
Thanks to its 3D printing technology, the hybrid race car achieved victory at the 2024 Formula Student Austria competition, marking MoRe Modena Racing as the first Italian team to accomplish this feat.
“CRP Technology’s support has been pivotal in boosting our car’s performance and advancing our expertise as upcoming engineers,” stated Beatrice Terzo, Team Leader of MoRe Modena Racing.
She added that collaborating with CRP enabled the team to utilize new advanced materials and manufacturing technologies. This made a “significant difference in our project’s success.”
3D printing enables MoRe Modena Racing success
CRP technology provided its Windform material portfolio and selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing services to produce several of the hybrid racing car’s components.
The upper and lower sections of the M24-LH’s front wing cascade winglet were manufactured through 3D printing, utilizing Windform SL, a low-density carbon-filled composite from the company. This component is crucial for improving aerodynamic efficiency by increasing downforce and minimizing drag.
The forward wing’s turning vane employs the top and back covers to enhance the wing’s outwash effect, which is aimed at augmenting the racing performance of the vehicle. The components were crafted using Windform SL and Windform XT 2.0, which are advanced materials designed for this purpose.
Windform XT 2.0, a carbon-fiber-reinforced composite used in selective laser sintering (SLS), offers advantages like 8% higher tensile strength, 22% greater tensile modulus, and 46% more elongation at break compared to its competitors. This robust material is instrumental for 3D printing the turning vane’s rib, which is essential for the front wing’s structural stability and rigidity.
Additionally, CRP Technology offers Windform TPU, a durable polyurethane material with rubber-like qualities suitable for producing rigid yet flexible and elastic components. It also features high tensile strength combined with shock absorption and abrasion resistance. MoRe Modena Racing utilized this material for fabricating the race car’s front, central, and rear connection covers.
Busbar and winding support components must endure ongoing thermal loads while maintaining superior mechanical and insulating characteristics. Consequently, Windform LX 3.0 was selected to fabricate these essential components for the M24-LH. This material, infused with glass fiber, demonstrates resistance to high temperatures (175.9°C) and provides robust tensile strength and stiffness.
In the vehicle’s cockpit, the gear-shifting paddles attached to the steering wheel were produced using Windform SL. These parts are crafted to be ultralight and to ergonomically conform to the driver’s fingers.
Franco Cevolini, CEO and Technical Director of CRP Technology, opined, “Our cooperation with MoRe Modena Racing is progressing splendidly.” He emphasized that this collaboration underscores the firm’s dedication to pioneering and excellence in the motorsport arena.
“This venture not only drives the development of innovative solutions but also promotes the exchange of knowledge and technology between the industrial and academic sectors,” added Cevolini.
3D printing race cars
Additive manufacturing is being increasingly adopted by motorsport teams looking to edge out their opponents on the track.
MoRe Modena Racing are not the first team to leverage 3D printing services and materials from CRP Technology. Last year, the company’s North American subsidiary, CRP USA, 3D printed racing car parts for the University of Victoria’s UVic Formula SAE Racing team.
The team’s joint effort resulted in the creation of key racing components such as the steering wheel and various parts of the lubrication system. They used carbon fiber-filled composite materials from Windform for 3D printing the parts utilizing CRP’s SLS technology.
In other developments, various Formula 1 racing teams are adopting 3D printing to enhance their competitiveness. Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Head of Quality Engineering, Ian Handscombe, expressed to 3D Printing Industry that the technology is indispensable for competition. He mentioned additive manufacturing as the fastest-evolving technology within the sport and anticipates an increase in the 3D printing of end-use vehicle components soon.
Oracle Red Bull Racing is not alone in this technological adoption. Formula 1’s most accomplished team, Scuderia Ferrari, has also utilized additive manufacturing to boost aerodynamics. Notably, in the 2022 season, 3D printed sensor mounts were seen on their F1-75 race cars, potentially made from either unfilled or fiber-filled nylon, printed through SLS or MultiJet Fusion (MJF) methods.
