When producing components made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, carbon fibers are coated with resin and then bonded under vacuum. This results in components that are particularly lightweight and sturdy. Keeping the resin content as low as possible improves the material properties and reduces the weight of the components, a decisive advantage in racing.
Vacuum technology is crucial for these processes. The rotary vane vacuum pump provided by Busch Vacuum Solutions supports the team in various production processes, such as manual lamination, vacuum infusion or the so-called pre-preg process. Fiber mats already pre-impregnated with resin are used, which are compacted and cured under vacuum. Reliable vacuum reduces excess resin and trapped air, which improves component quality and reduces weight. In the current egn25 racing car, the team also managed to reduce the weight of the aerodynamics package by around one kilogram.
The accessories and consumables now supplied to match the vacuum pump help the Formula Student team to keep their racing car’s performance consistent.
Driverless racing car at the Hockenheimring in Germany. Source: e-gnition Hamburg e.V.
Making Success Simpler: Support for the Formula Student Team at TU Hamburg
Busch had already equipped the Formula Student team at the Technical University (TU) of Hamburg with a rotary vane vacuum pump some time ago. Using it, the students manufactured carbon-fiber vehicle parts for their race car via vacuum infusion. Now the partnership has taken another step forward: The e-gnition team has also received matching accessories to ensure the long-term reliable and precise operation of the vacuum equipment.
Thanks to the vacuum solutions from Busch, we were able to further improve our production processes and manufacture even more lightweight components. This ensures that we can rely on the technology over the long term.
The results are also evident in competitions: the team took second place in the international Formula Student Germany competition in Hockenheim in the Driverless Trackdrive discipline. In the driverless competition at the Hockenheimring, the students also took fifth place in the driverless category and are currently ranked eleventh in the global Driverless league table.
Formula Student is an international engineering competition that started in 1979 and now includes more than 600 student teams from over 20 countries. The aim is to provide students with practical experience in construction, production and project management.
Formula Student is an international engineering competition that started in 1979 and now includes more than 600 student teams from over 20 countries. The aim is to provide students with practical experience in construction, production and project management.