Application of metal 3D printing in F1 racing cars

It is mentioned in the Global Racing Vehicle Market Outlook [2023-2030] report that the global racing market size will reach US$644.5 million in 2022. The future compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is expected to reach 8.96%.

Racing is a sport that has extremely high requirements on speed, weight reduction and development cycle. It is natural to use 3D printing technology. Every year, the application of 3D printing technology in F1 events continues to expand, and teams are using this technology to speed up the research and development process. As early as 2020, Alfa Romeo Team’s Orlen F1 car used 143 metal additive manufacturing (AM) parts, of which 58 were made of titanium alloy, 19 were made of high-performance aluminum alloy, and 66 Made of AlSi10Mg[1]. Common AM parts include chassis inserts, cooling circuit ducts, safety structures, electronic component mounts, etc. Additive Industries said that after using AM technology, the weight of the entire vehicle was reduced by 2%, which greatly improved the performance of the vehicle.

This article focuses on metal 3D printing technology (mainly the powder bed selective laser cladding (PBF-LB) process) and focuses on 4 application cases to help readers understand how additive manufacturing can bring added value to racing manufacturing.

metal 3D printing

Racing cars on display at Frankfurt Formnext 2023

Racing piston

As early as 2018, Ferrari had publicly expressed interest in metal 3D printing technology, exploring how to use it to manufacture engine pistons. The company believes that this technology will not only help reduce the weight of the car, but also improve the reliability of the engine.
Specifically, Ferrari has been exploring the use of various steel alloy powders to 3D print pistons. The company wants to move away from commonly used aluminum alloy powders in favor of steel alloys that can better resist deformation without breaking in extreme temperatures. Although the density of steel is about three times that of aluminum alloy, Ferrari can reduce weight while maintaining the strength of the part by using weight-saving lattice designs such as honeycomb.
In terms of engine design, Ferrari is not the only one exploring PBF-LB additive manufacturing technology, but Ferrari is one of the companies with the most say in this regard.

metal 3D printing

Racing piston printed with PBF-LB[2]

Roll cage

Before PBF-LB technology became popular, 3T AM (formerly 3T RPD) demonstrated the advantages of metal 3D printing to F1 back in 2012 by producing its own 3D printed roll cage. The roll cage uses titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) and a customized lattice design, which reduces its weight by 2 kilograms. Its geometric design has been optimized by software, including connecting thin walls with an internal lattice structure, in order to provide the driver’s head with the structural strength needed in the event of a rollover. F1 teams have received very positive feedback on the roll cage and have implemented it into some F1 cars.

3D printing

Roll cage printed with PBF-LB[2]

Brake pedal

When every gram counts, F1 teams look for ways to reduce weight wherever they can. Now, this even extends to the brake pedal!
EOS, maker of 3D printers with metal PBF-LB technology, has demonstrated its ability to not only reduce pedal weight, but also increase pedal stiffness in the process. After topology optimization, the final weight of the pedal is only 178 grams, and the spider web design ensures structural stability. EOS says it can reduce weight by another 80 grams, resulting in functional parts as light as 98 grams.
As of 2021, these pedals are only showpieces and not designated for racing, but if F1 teams wanted to, they could build them and test them to ensure they meet FIA safety standards.

metal 3d printing

Brake pedal printed with PBF-LB[2]

Exhaust pipe

A racing exhaust is a component that requires constant improvement and must be replaced after every race to minimize the risk of breakage. Because this component is subject to tremendous thermal and mechanical stress during use and is in contact with extremely corrosive exhaust gases, it is made of Inconel alloy, a nickel-based alloy with extremely strong corrosion resistance and high temperature performance.

From a material point of view, the alloy has high strength, and the traditional subtractive manufacturing process requires a large number of expensive tools and has a slow material removal speed; from a product design point of view, the wall thickness of the pipe is small and requires optimization based on fluid mechanics. Complex designs, as well as adding auxiliary structures for sensor placement. The cost of additive manufacturing is extremely low-sensitive to the complexity of parts and has irreplaceable absolute advantages.
Additive manufacturing often needs to be used in conjunction with subtractive manufacturing. For example, machining is used for surface treatment during post-processing. Therefore, during the printing process, features for clamping and reference objects for positioning during machining are often added to the part design.

metal 3d printer

Exhaust pipe printed with PBF-LB[3]

Summary

The above are just the application cases of the 4 types of 3D printing technologies used by F1 teams to gain a leading edge in high-paced racing events. The BWT Alpine F1 Team has a number of 3D Systems SLA and PBF-LB printers, which the team uses to complete a wide range of tasks, including making parts for wind tunnel testing and various molds. These applications often rely on materials co-developed with 3D Systems. Other applications of AM in F1 include metal parts produced by APWORKS and Additive Industries. In addition to these metal parts, the F1 team also uses polymer 3D printing technology extensively to develop and manufacture racing cars.

3d printing

Schematic diagram of the application of 3D printing on F1[2]

References:

[1] https://www.additivalab.com/how-formula-1-teams-benefit-from-metal-additive-manufacturing-the-example-of-alfa-romeo/
[2] https://3dprint.com/302217/the-many-ways-f1-teams-have-put-3d-printing-into-motorsports/
[3] https://www.renishaw.de/de/additives-in-formula-1-technology-of-the-future–43777