Engineering students at the University of Aberdeen have used 3-D printing to help design the racing car that they will use to compete in this year’s Formula Student competition at Silverstone (20-23 July).

Every year, the team — TAU Racing (www.tauracing.com) — designs and manufactures a single-seat racing car to compete in Formula Student, which is organised by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers; in last year’s competition, the team finished first in Scotland and 11th in the UK overall.

They are aiming for an even higher finish this year, having made a number of improvements to the car; these include a new wet sump, air box and oil sump, all of which have been designed with the aid of a 3-D printer provided by PlastiPrint 3D.

The car will also feature a new faster Triumph Daytona 675 engine, installed with the support of the team’s principal sponsor — Nexen.

Tom Morrice, project manager at TAU Racing, said: “We have spent many hours on the design and manufacture of this year’s car, and we are confident that it will help us achieve an even better finish in this year’s Formula Student competition.”