Traditionally, budget disparities in motorsports create performance gaps that keep better-funded teams at the front of the pack, while the rest of the field fights to keep pace. However, that status quo may be on the verge of a shakeup.

The growth of 3D printing in motorsports is unleashing new development opportunities that would've been unthinkable a decade ago—at a fraction of the cost. While this will benefit the entire industry, including well-funded teams, it also presents small teams and businesses with a better opportunity to design innovative new parts without being restrained by cost.

"One of our biggest successes in motorsports has been with our customer McGunegill Engine Performance [MEP]," said Michael Parks of GZERO Additive, Cincinnati, Ohio. "MEP is an established engine shop in the asphalt short track world, and they recognized 3D printing as a very cost-effective way to decrease development time and increase performance for their customers."

Less design time and more performance may sound like a far-fetched dream to some, but for those ready to embrace the possibilities of 3D printing, the opportunity is there for the taking.

New Approach to Engineering

3D printing is a common form of additive manufacturing in which an object or part is created or "printed" layer by layer, based on a digital CAD software file. This layered build allows engineers to create geometrically complex shapes and use less material than traditional manufacturing methods—a great combination for motorsports parts development.

"In the year after taking delivery of their first GZERO Additive 3D Printer, MEP engines won 30-plus Pro Late Model races, the World Crown 300, and an ASA STARS National Tour race using intake technology that included functional prints developed and produced on their GZERO machine," said Parks.

The advantages of incorporating 3D printing are not limited to a single factor. It's their versatility that can have the greatest impact.

"The ability to go from one-off prototypes to production batches of thousands of units using the same process on the same machine is massive," said Parks. "McGunegill Engine Performance is a perfect example. They use their 3D printer to make one-off prototypes for dyno testing during the day, when they're there to test and iterate, and then run production parts for customers overnight."

The ability to switch from mass production to experimental design prototyping with a single machine is a key benefit of 3D printing. This could be especially advantageous in today's labor landscape, as many companies struggle to find skilled and reliable workers.

When discussing how fabricators can benefit from large-format 3D printing—more on that later—Steven Nelson of Nelson Racing Design in Denver, Colorado, highlighted one of the major benefits of 3D printing.

"It's a full-time employee that can focus on a singular task without fail or supervision," said Nelson. "You can print jigs for welding, tools for assisting, joggles for placement, or anything that fits. The limiting factor is only your design capability."

In an industry where money is typically the main limiting factor, the emergence of a technology that empowers designers, fabricators, builders, and engineers to reach their potential is something to celebrate.

"3D printing technology has changed how engineering and prototyping are approached," said Omar Vinces, an engineer at Speed Concepts, a race team based in Sarasota, Florida. "Now engineers can see their designs come to life without even leaving their desk. They're able to print out designs or even mock-up parts before purchasing them."

Testing design concepts via 3D printing also significantly reduces the required investment of time and money, said Parks. "This includes making fixtures and tools for processes such as welding or machining, making low-cost prototypes to validate fitment, and in some cases, 3D printing components that were previously made from other manufacturing methods."

Increased Performance at Reduced Cost

Gaining an advantage in motorsports is a battle of tight margins. A single well-designed component can provide the difference between a winning race car and the rest of the field.

One of the primary factors that makes 3D printing such a good fit for motorsports applications is the ability to create specialty, low-volume components at a reasonable cost.

"The cost to make just one part with many traditional manufacturing methods can be quite high," said Parks. "Setup time, programming, fixturing, and tooling costs that normally would be spread out over hundreds or thousands of units are concentrated into just one. With 3D printing, the programming and setup are done in a couple of minutes. There are no fixturing or tooling costs. This makes it very cost-effective to run a one-off prototype or limited batch of parts, production volumes that are common in the motorsport world."

The other advantage of 3D printing for motorsport is the ability to "create geometries that would be incredibly expensive or impossible to make using traditional manufacturing methods," said Parks. "Obstructed overhangs, hollow cavities, and custom surface textures can all be leveraged to improve performance for functional parts."

Better yet, 3D printing prototypes allows builders and engineers to experiment with innovative design ideas without the high material costs.

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