Raymax – Partnering with Sunswift

Raymax Applications – Partnering with the Sunswift Racing team

The Sunswift Racing team at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a group of innovators, comprising both students and staff, who are working together in the research & development of solar electric vehicles.

The broad aim of the team is to redefine sustainable transport. However, they are probably better known for their success at competing in the World Solar Challenges. Since 1996 the teams of students and academics have built six solar-powered vehicles to enter these challenges – and most recently have been hard at work on the development and manufacture of car number seven. With some 45 people in the Sunswift team all contributing in different ways, the primary aim is to show the world that innovative technology is available today, not in years to come, and they are setting about to demonstrate their ideas and applications. Subteams make up the construction sections of the car-building group, comprising mechanical, electrical, computer science, photovoltaics – in other words, solar cells – and systems engineering. Each of these groups has a defined task that also provides them with opportunities to develop skills that they can use in future work environments. For example, the photovoltaics team is tasked with designing and optimising performance of the solar array to generate power for the vehicle as it moves along the roadway. Relying on CAD programs, the team must ensure that the solar cell power system provides adequate energy generation, along with monitoring the environmental conditions such as temperature changes and irradiance quality, from which data can be recorded as a form of diagnostic benchmarking. Ahead of the first shakedown test of the car, a number of engineering tests are run during the Challenges to gather data for research purposes. One such data form is telemetry. When analysing the power requirements needed to drive a solar car, measurements are gathered from three different points: the power required to accelerate the car; the power required to climb a hill that needs extra energy; and the power used to overcome the drag or resistance, created both by the tyres on the road as well as the aerodynamic drag. One key aim of the teams is to minimise drag. A member of a British team has managed to analyse the telemetry data from a car and provided useful efficiency yields that can be used by other teams in their development program. Linking up with industry

Heading up the UNSW Sunswift team is Professor Richard Hopkins. With a background in Formula 1, Hopkins has already been involved in some 28 eight chassis builds and plies his knowledge in overseeing the teams and the construction of car number seven. To achieve the team’s goals, partnerships with industry are formed to assist the production process, and to support the students as they build car number seven. In building partnerships with industry, Hopkins has had some interesting successes. One recent industry partnership was with Audi, who when approached to provide a set of headlights, found it easier to give the university a whole car. As SLM Solutions has extensive experience in testing new innovations, followed in the last few years by a wide installed base among European car manufacturers, the company was a suitable choice for building the student-designed parts using a selective laser melting process. In the automotive industry, SLM Solutions multi-laser systems are being used to print aluminium brackets containing cooling channels. These carry circulated water to provide a heat shield next to an electric pump. Another popular development has been the creation of 3D-printed brake calipers that use lightweight material that reduces running costs. These

Members of the Sunswift mechanical team holding 3D printed suspension struts for both the front and rear.

parts can withstand incredibly high temperatures and exceptional stress levels, yet still satisfy automotive standards in Europe and the USA. This breadth of experience in the automotive parts sector meant Raymax Applications, the Australian distributor of SLM Solutions’ laser systems, was approached to support the mechanical team responsible for the Sunswift Racing chassis, interior, exterior and moving parts. Raymax was asked to provide advice and assistance with the design and 3D manufacture of the suspension struts. The students completed the designs and provided the CAD drawings. The drawings were sent to Germany for a 3D build in an SLM 500 multi-laser system. The metal used was aluminium, chosen for its light weight, which is essential to the build of the solar-powered car; lightweight parts would help to reduce the overall load, which in turn would reduce the amount of energy required to keep the car going.

The parts were configured to fit onto single build plates to maximise the time for production. While CAD design provides the foundation for the part, it is essential to consider the way parts are organised on the build plate and the number of supports required. Recently SLM Solutions has released Free Float technology, which enables fewer supports to hold a part, minimising both the amount of metal powder needed as well as reducing the degree of post-processing that will be required.

Suspension atruts on the build plate of an SLM 500 3D printer. As the automotive sector grows, demands by the industry mean new developments in processing bring about changes in selective laser melting systems. Using 3D printed aluminium and titanium parts is fast becoming the ‘norm’ in car manufacturing today, specifically for the proven weight reductions it offers, which in turn decreases fuel consumption. Collaboration is critical

It is essential the Sunswift teams work closely together either at UNSW or the workshops of their partners. To ensure co-ordination of the build, the mechanical team had to work closely with both the electrical and photovoltaic systems groups, making sure the parts that they design and build adequately accommodate each team’s need to successfully fulfil their separate tasks. In previous races the UNSW Sunswift teams have had great success with their cars – uniquely named Violet (due to the car’s colour), Eve, Ivy, Two, Three and One. Now Number Seven is well on the way, with the 3D printed parts received from Germany and fitted into the car. The whole group is hoping to compete in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, a 3,000km race from Darwin to Adelaide right through the centre of Australia, competing against other university entrants from all around the world. Hopefully, given their efforts, their success is assured.

www.raymax.com.au www.sunswift.com

IMCRC collaboration to develop green hydrogen storage solution

The Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC), advanced materials startup Rux Energy and the University of Sydney have joined forces on a collaborative research project that will deliver game-changing

Currently, the inability to store H2 efficiently is preventing it from being widely used as a zero-carbon fuel. To combat this, the Sydney-based research project, which commenced in March 2021, has developed new metal-organic frameworks for the highperformance adsorption of H2. The new materials are set to be integrated into field-ready tank prototypes for trials and testing with SME and large industry partners in 2022, with the overall goal to deliver affordable green hydrogen for heavy and long-distance electric vehicles by 2025. Rux Energy Founder and CEO Dr Jehan Kanga said the IMCRC activate funding had enabled Rux Energy to onboard the resources and expertise needed to develop the materials and safe and efficient storage of dispatchable H2. “We’ve been able to use our recent findings as proof points to approach industry about new projects and look to globally relevant areas of expansion, including aviation and marine, which, along with trucking, would contribute to abating at least 12% of carbon emissions,” Dr Kanga said. “What began as a $100,000 investment has catalysed more than $4m in investments over the next three years, which speaks to the success of the collaboration.” University of Sydney Professor Cameron Kepert highlighted that safe and efficient dispatchable storage of H2 represents one of the central challenges on the road to the Hydrogen Economy: “Research at the University of Sydney is driven by the big picture, so we’re excited to be involved in a research collaboration exploring something as time sensitive and globally relevant as the delivery of cost-effective green energy.” University of Sydney DECRA Fellow Dr Lauren Macreadie emphasised how the collaboration provided unique career opportunities in the global advanced materials industry: “From day one, Rux embedded our students and postdoctorate researchers

Rux Energy Founder and CEO Dr Jehan Kanga, University of Sydney Professor Cameron Kepert and University of Sydney DECRA Fellow Dr Lauren Macreadie.

into their team, providing invaluable hands-on experience and setting them up for long-term success.” David Chuter, IMCRC’s CEO and Managing Director, said that IMCRC was particularly pleased to be co-funding the development of game-changing affordable green energy within Australia. “Rux Energy and the University of Sydney have had an incredibly fruitful research collaboration over the past nine months, making significant headway towards the commercialisation of affordable green energy,” he said. “The initial findings into efficient H2 storage are a testament to what can be achieved in Australia when we invest in commercially focused R&D though fast moving projects and collaborations.”

www.imcrc.org www.sydney.edu.au