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3DVision Technologies Release date: March 26, 2008
Rapid prototypes helped team evaluate concepts and optimize car's engine
Cincinnati, OH - March 26, 2008 - 3DVision Technologies Corp., a value-added reseller (VAR) of mainstream CAD, CAE, and PDM software serving the Great Lakes region, announces its sponsorship of this year's Ohio State University's Formula Buckeye Race team, which will compete against 130 other teams from colleges and universities around the world.
The Formula SAE collegiate design competition is governed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). To compete in the event, student teams create, design, fabricate, and compete using small formula-style racing cars. The cars are built by collegiate teams over a period of about one year and are taken to the annual competition for judging and comparison with entries from other teams.
To help the Ohio State Formula Buckeye team, 3DVision Technologies donated the materials and use of a Dimension 3D printer so the team could evaluate proposed restrictor designs using rapid prototypes. In order to optimize the engine due to the imposed engine air flow restriction, the team investigated approximately a dozen different profiles, experimenting with the geometry of the inlet into the restrictor and outlet out of the restrictor and into the engine.
Team members would send 3D CAD models of the various engine profiles created in SolidWorks to 3DVision Technologies, which would then generate rapid prototypes of the parts being tested. Team members were impressed by the extremely fast turnaround time for the parts to be produced and shipped back to the team for evaluation.
"The speed with which these parts were made was absolutely amazing to us," says Greg Uhlenhake, Powertrain Team Leader of the Formula Buckeyes FSAE. "Typically we would send out an iteration of the design in the form of a SolidWorks 3D CAD model to 3DVision Technologies on a Sunday night and within half a week we would have the parts back. It was absolutely amazing."
Uhlenhake believes that being able to physically test each proposed restrictor design using rapid prototypes and a flow bench helped the team to fully optimize the power of the car's 600-cc engine. "The physical test is good because it provides a better approximation of actual fluid friction and any vibrations (fluid and mechanical vibrations, pressure pulses, etc.) that might occur within the system. It's the real thing. You can't argue with a real test," says Uhlenhake.
The ability to physically test all of the different iterations enabled the team to fully optimize the performance of the car's engine without having to sacrifice time off their tight design and production schedule. "By being able to physically test all of these different iterations, we got about a four-percent improvement in air flow rate, which yielded roughly a six-percent increase in horsepower, which is pretty significant," says Uhlenhake. "We are now able to continue improving the power of the engine at a higher RPM. That was the ultimate goal of the rapid prototyping."
About 3DVision Technologies Founded in 1995, 3DVision Technologies Corp. is a team of experienced mechanical engineers that support the visions of engineers globally. With solutions for the design and manufacturing industries and include 3D solid-modeling, computer aided analysis, product data management and 3D Printers, 3DVision Technologies strives to maintain a "company culture" made up of employees who love what they do and work hard to help customers achieve their business goals.
3DVision Technologies have received numerous awards for sales, training and technical support within the engineering community. For more information on 3DVision Technologies visit its website at www.3dvision.com
Company Information:
Name: 3DVision Technologies
Address: 11500 Northlake Drive, Suite 122
City: Cincinnati
State: OH
ZIP: 45249
Country: USA
Phone: 513-745-2700
FAX: 513-745-2709
http://www.3dvision.com
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