Briggs Automotive Company turns to Stratasys for prototyping of Mono R supercar
The recently launched Mono R Supercar by British supercar manufacturer, Briggs Automotive Company (BAC), has been revealed to have utilized Stratasys advanced manufacturing (AM) solutions to reduce the production time of a functional air intake system prototype from two weeks down to just a few hours.
With top speeds of 170mph, while being able to generate over 340 brake horsepower (bhp) during test drives, the airbox of the Mono R had to meet stringent and rigorous conditions for the car’s optimum cooling and on-road performance such as being subjected to temperatures exceeding 100°C.
The complex geometries of the airbox also made it difficult to manufacture using traditional methods as it often took more than two weeks. In addition, any design iterations would lead to an increase in lead times and potential costs.
BAC decided to turn to additive manufacturing and invested in Stratasys industrial-grade F900 3D printer and produce the airbox prototype using Nylon 12CF material. With the material being able to withstand temperatures up to 140°C, it offered BAC a chance to test the prototype in as close as a material as possible to the real thing.
“This has enabled us to reduce our design-to-manufacturing time significantly. The prototype was as close, performance-wise, as if we had produced the prototype in carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic made from a mold. It also withstood the tests on the track with ease,” said Ian Biggs, Design Director at BAC.
Having experienced first-hand the effects that Stratasys’ solutions had on the development of Mono R, BAC will continue to unlock the potential of AM during their design process, and push the boundaries of the automotive industry.
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