On pole position with 3D-printed wheel carriers

Formula Student is an international engineering competition where students design, build, and compete with Formula 1–style race cars. Among the leading teams is the Esslingen University racing team, supported by the BENSELER subsidiary 3D Laser BW GmbH & Co. KG. The Kirchheim unter Teck–based 3D specialists provide ultra-lightweight wheel carriers and rocker shafts produced using metal laser melting.

Just like in Formula 1, every gram saved counts in Formula Student when racing against the clock. At the same time, all components must withstand extreme loads—especially when they are safety-critical. This is where the Esslingen University racing team truly excels. The team ranks among the top ten worldwide in the Formula Student Electric world rankings, out of more than 300 participating universities. In addition to the outstanding performance of the young engineers and drivers, this success is also thanks to suppliers who co-develop high-tech components with the students and support them with their expertise. One of these partners is the 3D specialist 3D Laser BW in Kirchheim unter Teck, a subsidiary of the BENSELER Group. The company supplies wheel carriers and rocker shafts manufactured using metal laser melting, making them bionic in design and many times lighter than comparable components produced by other processes such as investment casting.

Thin wall structures enabled by metal laser melting
Using the metal laser melting process (also known as LaserCUSING^®, DMLS, SLM, or LPBF), 3D Laser BW manufactures, among other things, conformal-cooled tool inserts for die casting, injection molding, and functional prototypes. In this process, metal powder is applied layer by layer and fused with a laser beam. This enables the efficient, tool-free production of even highly complex component geometries.

For the first time in its history, the Esslingen University racing team has installed an inverted wheel carrier produced by metal laser melting in its current race car. In a conventional wheel assembly, the hub is located inside the wheel carrier; in an inverted design, the arrangement is reversed. Compared to conventional manufacturing methods, the new wheel carriers from 3D Laser BW are many times lighter, as metal laser melting allows significantly thinner wall thicknesses than traditional casting processes.

Another key advantage of additive manufacturing is functional integration: elements such as cables can be integrated directly into the components, whereas in conventional designs they would have to be routed around the part. In addition, the printed wheel carriers and rocker shafts exhibit higher strength than their cast counterparts—an essential advantage for the Esslingen University racing team in the battle for thousandths of a second.