ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING | MOTORSPORT
ETMECEHRGNIONLGO GIES TAKE POLE Motorsport has long been at the bleeding edge of
innovation and Brent Pittman, director of engineering,
automotive and concept design at Autodesk suggests
that remains the case.
Motorsport is more
than just blazing heat,
screeching brakes, a
roar of engines, and the
test of a driver’s skill and bravery.
It is positioned as the pinnacle of
technological innovation coming
out of the automotive industry.
But for a sport that uniquely has
‘Constructor Championships’ to
reward the work of the team behind
the athlete, it is interesting that the
value of new technologies hasn’t
been realised fully yet. Indeed, when
it all boils down, an athlete may be
the most talented individual, but it
is technology that is the real driver
behind the sport’s success.
Taking inspiration from the
broader automotive manufacturing
industry, here are some of the
technologies we think have the
biggest potential for motorsport
manufacturers to revolutionise how
their future vehicles will be designed
and produced.
Two emerging technologies that
are helping to catapult motorsport
further into pole position are artificial
intelligence (AI) and machine
learning (ML). However, they are
still very much in the early stages of
adoption, with some in motorsport
using these technologies to analyse
the masses of data collected so that
people and processes are better
connected, meaning teams can adapt
to scenarios almost instinctively.
The data allows them to make more
accurate, proactive decisions that
enhances the performance of the
vehicle and delights fans. The focus is
largely on the driver, supporting them
by using data insights for things like
scheduling pit-stops and choosing
the exact moment to brake and
speed up when navigating corners.
With the sheer quantity of data
available, motorsport teams have the
opportunity to use it in their design
and manufacturing processes too,
improving performance, handling
and the customisation of vehicles, so
drivers can feel and respond to the
road in unprecedented ways.
Many automotive manufacturers
are taking steps toward a more
advanced manufacturing
environment, one that is characterised
by connectivity, driven by data, and
open to new collaborative modes
of working, something that the
motorsport industry needs to catch
up on.
What motorsport manufacturers
should envision is a converged
design and manufacture environment.
Product designers should use
technology not to document a predetermined
outcome but rather to
define the range of possible ideas
and narrow them down according to
functional parameters.
AI will augment this analysis,
learning from each iteration to
eventually eliminate the need for
engineers to repeat common tasks.
As designs move into production, the
manufacturing systems themselves
will provide suggestions about
the impact of specific process
adjustments or insight into where
failures might occur. Data gleaned
from production will be used to
enhance simulations of components
and systems further upstream
in the pipeline, compressing the
development cycle.
Generative design tools are
being used by automotive engineers
to surpass the usual modes and
limitations of traditional design
thinking. By synthesising forms based
on inputs about performance, material
or manufacturing characteristics—as
opposed to a preconceived idea of
how a part should look and behave—
generative design can deliver more
design options than any team could
come up with on its own.
22 WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK | SEPTEMBER 2019
/WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK