How Form 4L and High Temp Resin Helped Race Up Team Padova Print a Cooling System and Drive to the Finish
When Race Up Team Padova set out to build an electric race car radiator from scratch, they quickly realized they needed to manufacture custom components that could not only withstand the heat of a race car and meet safety standards, but perform in the student equivalent of Formula 1. With a Formlabs Form 4L 3D printer and engineering resins, the university students built a custom radiator that weighed 67% less than previous models — and raced onto the podium.
Until the 2024 season, the University of Padua Team, Team Padova, used an aftermarket radiator from a company that manufactures radiators especially for Formula student cars. While these radiators are plug-and-play and easy to integrate, there was room for improvement, including making it lightweight while still dissipating all the power losses needed in the car.
With a Form 4L 3D printer, Form Wash, Form Cure, and engineering resins, Team Padova built a lighter radiator for their electric race car, which drove into third place overall in the Italian competition FS ATA held at the Varano de’ Melegari circuit.
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Building a Radiator With Form 4L
As no radiator on the market met the team’s needs, they dove into research, deciding to opt for an oval tubes and fins radiator design. However, the radiator masses they received weren’t equipped with inlet and outlet manifolds. To be able to fully customize a design that met their application and constraints, the team turned to 3D printing.
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printed parts immediately failed, unable to withstand the temperatures required. The team then turned to stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing, selecting High Temp Resin and Form 4L.
“After extensive evaluation, testing, and several prototype iterations, we selected Formlabs High Temp Resin, a resin capable of withstanding both the thermal stress and the mechanical requirements of the application.”
Race Up Team Padova
3D Printing the Cooling System With High Temp Resin
The cooling system is divided into two distinct sections: a water circuit and an air circuit. Parts in the water circuit must withstand operating temperatures close to 80 °C. Due to this, Formlabs High Temp Resin was selected as High Temp Resin has a heat deflection temperature (HDT) of 238 °C @ 0.45 MPa — the highest among Formlabs resins.
High Temp Resin was used to 3D print:
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A custom inlet that connects the centrifugal pump to the pipe without introducing a pressure drop.
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Custom parts and fans for the fully custom radiator.
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The vortex tank, a fully custom-designed system required to extract air. As its name suggests, it operates by generating a vortex that separates and removes the bubble air from the fluid, ensuring proper circuit performance.
1. A 3D printed custom inlet. 2. Motor cooling jackets. 3. Custom parts and fans. 4. Vortex tank. 5. Inverter cold plate.
The large print volume of Form 4L meant the team could print two plates and two manifolds in a single build, effectively producing a radiator in a single print. After post-processing parts in Form Wash and Form Cure and sanding attachment points, the team assembled the parts with Loctite EA 9497 adhesive.
Compared to the previous year’s radiator, the team was able to cut roughly 1200 g, approximately a 67% weight reduction for each radiator. Considering the whole cooling system is composed of two radiators, they were able to save 2.4 kg.
“Obtaining such a positive result that allowed us to reduce the weight was possible only thanks to the contribution of Formlabs.”
Race Up Team Padova
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3D Printing the Air Cooling Circuit With Flame Retardant Resin
The air cooling circuit is an open loop that draws air from the central region of the vehicle to cool the battery and then expels the air from the rear. The air cools each individual cell of the battery through small tabs that transfer heat from the cell to the airflow. This system has specific safety requirements per the regulations of Formula SAE: elements that are in contact with the battery pack must be UL-94 V-0 fire retardant materials. In order to meet these requirements, Race Up Padova selected Flame Retardant Resin for manufacturing the parts.
The air cooling circuit must be made of UL-94 V-0 fire retardant materials due to contact with the battery.
Flame Retardant Resin is a specialty UL 94 Blue Card certified material for creating self-extinguishing and halogen-free parts with favorable flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST) ratings. These properties enable the 3D printing of parts that perform in environments with high temperatures or ignition sources, such as near a battery system.
Innovation and Iteration in Education
“Without Formlabs such innovation wouldn’t be possible in the same way as it was: fast, reliable, and precise.”
Race Up Team Padova
In addition to High Temp Resin and Flame Retardant Resin, Team Padova uses Rigid 10K Resin to make molds for laminating carbon fiber and Clear Resin for testing and verification of proper fluid behavior. Form 4L is agile, with fast, easy material changeovers, giving the team access to the entire range of Formlabs resins, so that they can select the optimal material for each application.
While Team Padua’s car came in third in the FS ATA competition, they are already looking at improvements for the next iteration, including adding ribs to parts for strength, implementing fluid dynamics optimization, and reducing drag. One of the primary tools they’ll use as they begin iterating? Form 4L and Formlabs resins.
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Formlabs 3D printers are used to engage and empower students. To learn more about resources and pricing for students and educators, explore our resources page or contact sales.
