3D Printing Speeds USC Racing Team's Formula Car Development

USC engineering students capitalize on one of 3D printing's foremost benefits.

"Lost time is never found again." Those words are attributed to Benjamin Franklin, one of America's founders, known for his inventiveness and innovative ideas. In a modern context, they highlight a simple truth: time is a non-renewable resource that shouldn't be squandered. But while we still have the same number of hours in a day as Franklin, current technology helps us be more time-efficient, allowing us to do complex things more quickly and move to the next productive endeavor.

That truth is no stranger to the students that make up the University of Southern California's Formula SAE race teams. As part of an annual international collegiate competition, their task is to design, build, and field a race car within a short time window and with limited resources. USC Racing focuses on internal combustion engine cars, while SC Formula Electric specializes in electric vehicles. For these student teams, additive manufacturing (AM) technology is a tool they lean on heavily to give their cars the best chance at the winner's circle and maximize their time to make that happen.

Demonstrating their belief in the benefits of AM technology, USC Racing's 2024 car embodies about 40 3D printed parts. According to Lucas Dudley, the team's chief engineer, that's up from five on the 2023 car, a 700% increase. Some of the 3D printed components include the steering wheel, made from FDM^® Nylon 12CF carbon-fiber material, circuit board enclosures, and aerodynamic elements, to name just a few.