Thanks To 3D Scan And 3D Printing, You Can Quickly Make Your Own Racing Car

2023 Author : Hannah Pearcy | [email protected] . Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:12

When he steps on the accelerator and accelerates his car to almost 100 km / h in 4.4 seconds, Sergey Karyakin has no time to think. His team, SNAG Racing, takes part in off-road races through the deserts of Morocco, Chile and Peru, the mountains of Bolivia and the vast steppes of Russia and Mongolia. Whether it's brooding heat, freezing cold or different altitudes: his self-designed racing cars have to cope with the tough conditions.

The goal: to finish without losing parts

The last race in which the team took part was the Rallye du Maroc in October 2019. In this five-day rally, the cars have to travel 2,506 kilometers and drive through the finish line without missing part of the car . Easier said than done. Because in the course of the race they drive through scree deserts, overcome endless sand dunes, master relentless salt flats and cross steep mountain slopes with invisible curves. After all stage results had been received, the SNAG Racing team finally took second place in its category.

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Success factor racing cars

SNAG Racing does not drive a standard racing car. Instead, the team started with a 172-horsepower Can-Am Maverick X3 RS Turbo R, for which it built a new chassis to meet the requirements of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile). Right from the start of his career, Sergey realized that winning a race takes a lot more than luck . One of the most important success factors is the car itself, because, to put it in his words: “If only top professionals participate, even the slightest performance advantage can bring you the few seconds you need to be the first to cross the finish line."

Lengthy construction process

To increase the performance of their racing cars, they built new components that make the cars lighter, stronger and more agile.

• The design process originally started with the construction of a cardboard model.
• The model was then transferred to sheet metal and welded together.
• Then the multi-stage manufacturing process followed.

It often took two months or more for a simple component to be ready for installation . But with a busy schedule, which often only allowed the team a few weeks until the next race in another country, the old procedure was no longer acceptable.

With 3D scanner and 3D printing you can quickly create your own components

That's when Sergey discovered 3D scanning and additive manufacturing. At Artec Reseller Cybercom Ltd he got to know the 3D hand scanner Artec Eva. Artec Eva is a 3D scanner used in manufacturing, healthcare, reverse engineering and other areas. As a service provider and specialist for 3D scans and 3D printing, Cybercom offers a wide range of solutions for a wide variety of applications.

Cybercom showed Sergey and his team how by using Artec Eva and the Artec Studio scanning and post-processing software , they can reduce manufacturing times, reduce costs and at the same time design their own components with more sophisticated specifications .

Supercomputing

With fast computers to fast cars

Foolproof scanning process

In the days and weeks that followed, Sergey and his team worked out the 3D scanning and design process they still use today. “First of all, we prepare the part that is to be scanned. This can be anything: wishbones, attachment points, shock absorbers, joints and other parts of the chassis. We clean the surface to get perfect scan results, fix the part and press the scan button. We guide the scanner around the object and watch the 3D scan build up on the screen. To be honest, it's easy as pie!”Says Sergey.

Light components enable fast cars

With the sub-millimeter-accurate 3D recording of the geometry and the attachment points of the original parts, Artec Eva has enabled the racing team to build a whole range of components more easily, more powerfully and more stably . This makes the cars more robust and faster. They can better adapt to the difficult conditions that they are constantly exposed to in races. Sometimes the changes are so extensive that only the attachment points remain the same. Other times, however, the changes are more subtle and limited to new, more powerful materials.

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New parts in a maximum of three weeks

The team now needs a maximum of three weeks to design and manufacture new parts. This includes all work steps: from the first 3D scan to CAD design to CNC milling or 3D printing with various plastics, metals, carbon or Kevlar. One of the biggest advantages that 3D scanning and additive manufacturing offers for SNAG Racing are the many new possibilities.

Implement new ideas quickly

“In my opinion, this process is the future for small racing teams. It does not require extensive training. I'm a racing driver, not a construction engineer, and yet I can do it myself. And now my technicians are doing it. With Artec, we can design and implement new ideas in a very short space of time without having to wait for any spare parts suppliers who definitely don't have the flexibility and the know-how to build the parts as quickly as we need them,”explains Sergey.

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Rethinking product development

Racing cars as you wish

“With Artec,” he continues, “we can be more creative than I ever thought possible. Sure, it's a rally car that is based on a standard racing car. But 3D scanning has given us the opportunity to build our cars exactly as we dream of them - and within our time and budget.”

“When I first found out about 3D scans and 3D printing, there were more traditional-minded people who warned me. They thought it was dangerous to make the parts themselves. But I didn't listen to them. If I did that, the others would drop me. And I want to be the first. For me, 3D scanning is about being innovative yourself and building what works best - not waiting and hoping that somebody will build what we need now.”

Self-made brand: durable and robust

The doubts about the robustness and durability of the self-built parts have long since evaporated. There were serious concerns, especially at the beginning, but time and experience proved the team right. Sergey continues: “Quality control works like this for us: Since we are all racing professionals, we check the parts we have built ourselves in detail immediately after each stage. Then we see if and how they wear out. New designs are checked very carefully , so that nothing gets in our way. We constantly try out new materials and constructions and make detailed records of everything - in my opinion that's the only right method.”

Combine lightweight construction and stability

And according to Sergey, this is far from over. Because of the success they have achieved with their high-performance designs around the world, they want to shift up a gear. “We are now concentrating more on combining different composites with metals in order to benefit from the advantages of both material groups - in particular to combine flexibility, minimal weight and maximum stability. So far, the results have been very encouraging.”