GreenTeam & CERATIZIT – Working together to achieve new levels of performance in electromobility

Together with the GreenTeam Uni Stuttgart, the CERATIZIT Project Engineering Team developed a machining solution for the challenging finishing work for the additively manufactured, topologically optimised wheel carrier, brake callipers and electric motor housing in order to drive the fully electric race car of the Swabian Formula Student team on to new levels of performance.

From development and design all the way to the race track

Our mini-video series follows the GreenTeam throughout the entire racing season. You can look forward to a very special glimpse behind the scenes. Tricky challenges paired with plenty of emotion, impressive CNC machining and thrilling racing, as well as project engineering and teamwork at its best. All with one goal in mind: defending the number 1 world ranking.

Complex machining of the electric motor housing, wheel carrier and brake callipers

A huge challenge loomed this year—but the incentive for our machining experts was just as huge: the machining of the electric motor housing, the topologically optimised wheel carrier and brake callipers was on the agenda. These complex components were previously manufactured by Renishaw in an additive process (3D printing). The schedule proved to be particularly ambitious. Overall, a total of 24 workpieces had to be manufactured and ready to install in just 3 weeks—all at three different locations.

Namely, in different CERATIZIT Technical Centers in Italy, Spain and France. There were good reasons for this: firstly, for capacity and time reasons and, secondly, CERATIZIT benefited from its international expertise and experts in different countries.

High-tech components for electromobility: technical challenges and solutions

The topologically optimised components placed great demands on the machining process: ultimately, all unnecessary material had to be removed. This resulted in extremely thin-walled components that were as light as possible. During the manufacturing processes, one of the key tasks was to reliably bring vibrations under control.

Another challenge was the relocation of the entire manufacturing site as well as the zero point of the components to be machined. A zero point clamping system made it possible for the zero points from the first operations in Italy to be smoothly transferred to Spain and recovered! This was critical, because even tiny movements of 1° or 2° would have had fatal consequences on the driving behaviour of the race car due to the extremely thin-walled component structure. This would make the vehicle more difficult to steer and its straight-line travel would be affected.
 

Tool for special requirements: 3D printed special tool

A special CERATIZIT tool which had already proven its worth a year earlier was used to manufacture the complex components: an additively manufactured snap-on tool with two adapters for indexable inserts as well as a vibration damper mounted on a U-axis. The lightweight FEM-optimised design perfectly absorbs any forces that arise during machining and allows for the required machining in a clamping set. The use of the tool manufactured using the 3D printing method also allowed for cooling directly at the cutting edges.

But this time there was no U-axis for assembly, as the machines used in southern Europe were fitted without these kinds of components. So the experts quickly developed and manufactured a matching holder to clamp this on the revolver of a lathe for easy rotation during machining.

Challenging e-mobility project

CERATIZIT has supported the GreenTeam for many years, but the support provided in 2022 was unique and on a grander scale than ever before, because they had to get the new race car E0711-12 to perform at its peak.

GreenTeam breaks the world record – on the fast track to success right from the start

GreenTeam Uni Stuttgart e.V. is exclusively home to students that design a fully electric race car each year to compete for the title at international Formula Student races in various static and dynamic disciplines. Right from the start, the GreenTeam was among the top 10 teams in the world—and in 2021 it was even crowned the world number 1!

And another highlight followed: since September 2022, the GreenTeam is also the world record holder with an acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in an impressive 1.461 seconds. Just for comparison: a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ with 1,825 HP and 1,850 Newton metres of torque (value: around 4.7 million US dollars) achieves this in about 2.17 seconds.

Innovative solutions for customers from the automotive industry

For CERATIZIT, the GreenTeam project is a good example of what modern manufacturing processes and know-how can achieve. It would not have been possible to manufacture components such as the topologically optimised wheel carriers a couple of years ago. These kinds of parts have only been made possible by additive manufacturing. This obviously requires the necessary know-how in terms of applications and tools as well as exceptional problem-solving skills. Our experience in the automotive and e-mobility sectors as well as our Global Project Engineering Team mean that we are well-equipped for the requirements of the automotive industry.

About to tackle your next project?

Want to work together with us on your next project? Then get in touch.