3-D Printing Of Carbon Fiber Now A Reality.

[Moose]

Ummmm.....

Why is this viewed as especially revolutionary for F1 racing?

Metallic 3d printing is highly useful for fast part construction. There are some parts which are just not machinable in any practical sense.

However, a carbon fibre tub isn't a challenge that NEEDS 3d printing for the actual carbon. There is a well tested, well proven method for making these (realatively simple ) shapes - you lay them up in moulds.

Because if you can make more complex shapes, then you can make better parts. You could also make well tested, well proven chassis out of aluminium and titanium before carbon fibre came along - carbon fibre allowed them to make lighter, more aerodynamic ones. Printing it will allow them to make lighter still ones because they'll be able to put much more detail into how the intricate shapes that transfer loads throughout the chassis.

[andylaurence]

However, a carbon fibre tub isn't a challenge that NEEDS 3d printing for the actual carbon. There is a well tested, well proven method for making these (realatively simple ) shapes - you lay them up in moulds. You have CNC mills to make the moulds. Perhaps, when costs and accuracy allows, you might print the moulds. What is the actual NEED to print the fibre? Or you could print a positive mould perhaps, for total loss making - like a complex shaped tube.

The cost of laying up carbon is mainly in the cost of the labour. Man hours (or days) go into each part. Whilst I can't see this happening in F1, I can see that lower formulae may benefit. A wing costs a lot of money these days and that's because you have to pay someone in a factory to lay it up into a mould. You have to buy one off the shelf of spend thousands having a plug/mould made. With a 3D printer, the cost of labour falls and it becomes possible for a club racer to have a bespoke wing built for the price of a standard unit. Admittedly, the MarkForged method isn't exactly the strongest or lightest method, but it does advance the current 3D printing capabilities quite dramatically.