These 0.5" carbon composite parts were cut at 55,000 PSI utilizing a .010/.030 orifice nozzle combination and 0.5 pounds of garnet per minute. Cut speed was approximately 35 inches per minute. The parts make up the spar support system of the front wing. Other composite carbon parts will be bonded between frame members to increase rigidity. Photo courtesy Jet Edge. The part showing the components put together is courtesy Gopher Motorsports.
These 0.09" alloy steel parts were cut at 55,000 PSI with a 0.010/.030 orifice/nozzle combination using 0.5 pounds of garnet per minute. Cut speed was approximately 25 inches per minute. Jet Edge waterjet systems can tightly nest parts to reduce material waste. The parts cut here include brake pedal mounting arms, throttle pedal mounts, and an assortment of frame tabs. Gopher Motorsports performed FEA analysis to validate the decision to use waterjet-cut pedal mounts instead of machined parts. Photo courtesy Jet Edge.
Gopher Motorsports Team member Phil Hoff inspects steel parts that were cut on the waterjet. Photo courtesy Jet Edge.
Jet Edge Machinist Brian Wallace reviews a waterjet cut part with Gopher Motorsports Team member Phil Hoff. Photo courtesy Jet Edge.
Gopher Motorports' 2015 Formula SAE race car. Last year the team placed 13th. They are working toward a top 10 finish this year. Photos courtesy Gopher Motorports.
Determined to race its way to a Top 10 finish at the Michigan Formula SAE this May, the University of Minnesota's Gopher Motorsports team has enlisted the help of waterjet manufacturer Jet Edge, Inc. to cut parts for the team's #52 G04-16 Formula SAE race car.
Jet Edge has been waterjetting a wide range of carbon composite, steel and aluminum parts for the Gophers, who are building an open-wheeled, open cock-pit race car for the Society of Automotive Engineer's global collegiate competition May 11-14 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Among the parts being waterjet are mounting tabs for the frame, structural inserts for the wings and several other components, including the chain guard and brake rotors.
"Using waterjet is the fastest way to produce parts with the geometry that we have designed," said Nathan Tigges, Gopher Motorsports FSAE Vice President (mechanical engineering/class of 2018). "Based upon our good experiences with waterjet cutting, we have redesigned several CNC parts to be manufactured as an assembly from waterjet parts, such as our rear bellcranks."
"The Formula SAE competition draws some of the world's brightest engineering students, who design, manufacture, market and ultimately race their cars at MIS," said a company spokesperson. The teams are scored on their vehicle's performance, business logic and design presentation. Gopher Motorsports, which is the University of Minnesota's student chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers, has been competing in the Formula SAE since 1997, twice placing seventh out of 120 teams from around the world. In 2015, the team placed 13th.
Gopher Motorsports builds a new car every year. They are required to change the frame geometry every year. To improve competitiveness, they also fully redesign about one-third of the system each year. Another one-third of the car needs to be revised in order to comply with the new designs and the legacy components. Prior to 2015, the team pillaged old cars for parts, but with the support of the university and local community, they are now able to preserve the old models. This allows them to preserve the team's heritage, train new drivers and give future team members the ability to see the progression of previous designs so they can improve upon them.
Tigges noted that Jet Edge has been very helpful in saving the students time, money and material.
"We are able to produce high quality parts at low cost, both in monetary and personnel terms," he said. "Having a great sponsor like Jet Edge reduces the time we would otherwise spend in the shop ourselves, and lets us use money that otherwise would be spent on the same services elsewhere. That not only lets our members work on other projects, but also lets us stretch our budget. Using waterjet technologies improves our competitiveness, because it helps us reduce our estimated large-scale production cost in the `Cost Report' event at competition. Rather than pricing these parts as machine parts, we are able to quote the cost of waterjet cutting, which drives down the overall budget in our Cost Report."
"From working with Jet Edge, we have figured out ways to more efficiently utilize the raw materials that we have," he said. "Jet Edge's Machinist Brian Wallace helped us save half of a sheet of carbon composite material by nesting our pieces more efficiently, which really helps us out. More importantly, we will be able to implement some of those efficiencies to help out down the road."
Wallace, who runs Jet Edge's waterjet applications test lab, has been cutting the team's parts on Jet Edge's EDGE X-5 5-axis waterjet system. This CNC-controlled industrial waterjet system turns tap water and garnet abrasive into a 75,000 PSI fast and thin abrasive waterjet that cuts precise shaped parts from a variety of materials. The system uses a Jet Edge hydraulic intensifier pump to pressurize the water, which is then forced through a jewel orifice, mixed with abrasive and focused through a nozzle. Wallace used a .010/.030 orifice/nozzle combination and 0.5 pounds per minute of 80 grit garnet abrasive to cut the Gophers' parts.
The honor of driving the #52 at Michigan will go to the team's fastest drivers, said Gopher Motorsports Team member Phil Hoff, (mechanical engineering/class of 2016) who explained that the team determines its fastest drivers during actual behind the wheel time trials and by racing on a simulator that several of the team members built themselves. Tigges noted that the team has made driver training a priority this year since both of the team's drivers are graduating soon.
In addition to placing competitively in the Formula SAE, Gopher Motorsports has received several awards, including the Cummins Powertrain Excellence award. They were one of only 10 teams worldwide chosen by Bosch for sponsorship because of the creativity they displayed in testing when they lost critical dynamometer research space but compensated by building a dyno of their own along with trackside tuning.
"Working with Gopher Motorsports has given me several skills that I would not have gotten inside the classroom," Tigges said. "It is far and away the best supplement to my engineering education that I could hope for. Whether it's working with sponsors, to coordinating complex schedules, or even analyzing performance over several years of design, the skills I have learned from being a part of this organization have been a great way to prepare for industry."
Tigges noted that the team participates in outreach events to inspire future engineering students, including the University of Minnesota's State Fair booth, CSE Expo, STEM Expo and other youth and high school events and visits.
Southwest
For more information contact:
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Jet Edge, Inc.
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St. Michael, MN 55376
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sales@jetedge.com
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Jet Edge, Inc.
12070 43rd St. NE
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612-590-5595
sales@jetedge.com
www.jetedge.com
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Jet Edge, Inc.
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St. Michael, MN 55376
765-458-7468
sales@jetedge.com
www.jetedge.com
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12070 43rd St. NE
St. Michael, MN 55376
765-458-7468
sales@jetedge.com
www.jetedge.com
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Jeff Schibley
Jet Edge, Inc.
12070 43rd St. NE
St. Michael, MN 55376
765-458-7468
sales@jetedge.com
www.jetedge.com
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David Arthur
Jet Edge, Inc.
12070 43rd St. NE
St. Michael, MN 55376
612-590-5595
sales@jetedge.com
www.jetedge.com
West
Jet Edge, Inc.
12070 43rd St. NE
St. Michael, MN 55376
763-497-8700 / 800-538-3343
sales@jetedge.com
www.jetedge.com