Manufacturing continues

With our target completion date rapidly approaching we have been working on multiple areas of the project this week, this has allowed us to keep the overall manufacture of the car moving at the desired rate. One of the key areas in which we need to prepare for is the lay-up of the carbon fibre skins, in order to perform this task we will need 3 aluminium moulds which themselves need 3 steel jigs that they can be formed around. The first Jig was cut on the laser cutter last week and we now have the designs for the other 2 jigs (pictured below)

We are aiming to produce these jigs within the next 2 weeks so production of the aluminium moulds can begin.

Another area which is a large part of our design is the production of a wide range of AM parts, by the end of this week we will have the “front bulkhead” completed. The part has been added into a large build and is currently being manufactured by the AM team using their Fortus FDM printer.

Once we have the front bulkhead we will be able to continue with the manufacture of our hybrid frame.

As part of apprentice week we were asked to attend a local college and promote the project, we set up a small stand and gave students the opportunity to look at some of the work we have already produced whilst explaining the plans we have for the future. The day was a success with many students displaying a real interest in our car and the way we are utilising additive manufacturing to get the best results.