The University of Toledo’s Formula SAE (Rocket Motorsports) team designs, builds, and competes with a formula one style car in national competitions every year. The competition requires students to design a new car each year and compete against other college teams in areas of design, performance, and presentation. More importantly, students who participate have the opportunity to develop skills in engineering, manufacturing, and leadership.
For several years, Basilius has CNC machined suspension and wheel components for their car. It’s always exciting for us to receive their CAD data. Each design feature is thought out and designed for peak performance in strength, functionality, and weight. We’re always impressed by the innovative thinking of Formula SAE team. They’re never afraid to send over some complicated designs that make us think through the best way to produce them. Below are pictures and a video of the parts we helped manufacture this year.
This video shows our Makino A61NX rough cutting an aluminum suspension component. Using this type of machine, we are able to access more areas of the part than with a conventional vertical mill. This enables us to complete more of the part without changing setups. With parts like the ones imaged below, it can be difficult to clamp or fixture them after complicated contours are machined into the part. Our team was able to think through how to machine these parts and produce them quickly and accurately.
Over the years, it’s been a pleasure to work with The University of Toledo’s Rocket Motorsports Team. We always look forward to their latest car design, and we’re hoping for a win! Best of luck to them in the years to come!
