Additive manufacturing materials developer Uniformity Labs has 3D printed a roll cage for a solar-powered race car using its ultra-low porosity AlSi10Mg aluminum alloy powder. Printed in-house on an SLM Solutions SLM 280 2.0, the roll cage is set to be used in the upcoming Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, a 3000km race that sees solar-powered cars duke it out in the Australian outback. The 3D printed roll cage was enabled by Uniformity Labs’ AlSi10Mg, an age-hardening aluminum alloy with excellent hardness, strength, and toughness. Uniformity Labs chose to print the roll cage with a layer thickness of 30 microns, as this gave the part a high-quality surface finish. The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team recently integrated 3D scanning and 3D printing into its day-to-day workflows, revealing that it used additive manufacturing to win the World Superbike Championship in Italy in 2019. More recently, the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN Formula One team partnered with AM Solutions, the Italian 3D printing subsidiary of the Rösler Group, to bolster the post-processing of its 3D printed race car components. Having acquired three S1 systems from AM Solutions, Alfa Romeo will be able to deploy partial and fully automated post-processing of polymer and metal 3D printed parts for “All 3D printing technologies”.

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