Formula Student engineering encompasses a complete project: designing a race car, manufacturing its components, integrating systems, and testing them. Chorouk Maaz from NovaRacing Team and Guillem Gutiérrez from UPC ecoRacing explain in chapter 5 of “Toque de Ingenio” how they coordinate this work while also studying. The conversation highlights a development experience where budget, documentation, and teamwork are all important alongside vehicle performance.
Guest Chorouk Maaz and Guillem Gutiérrez. Company or organization: NovaRacing Team and UPC ecoRacing.
Interview published: April 2, 2024. Episode: 5. Duration: 1 h 41 min.
In this episode:
- What a team learns by taking a prototype from the design stage through to competition.
- How are departments, resources, and manufacturing activities coordinated?
- Why transferring knowledge is essential between seasons.
A university project with a desired outcome that needs to function.
The guests are describing a competition where university teams develop vehicles and present them to tests. The experience combines technical work and organization, requiring decisions to be implemented within the available timeframe.
The single-seater allows for observation of the relationship between subsystems. The design of a component depends on its interfaces with other parts and the conditions it needs to withstand. Integration requires checking whether decisions made by different departments are compatible.
That route resembles product development: The ideas must evolve into specific requirements, geometric forms, components, and tests. The outcome isn’t simply evaluated by a digital model, but by what the team is able to actually build and validate.
Engineering in Formula Student also requires management.
The guests describe tasks that extend beyond calculation and mechanics: budgeting, securing sponsors, managing relationships with the university, and arranging transport. The competition requires organizing people, equipment, and resources elsewhere.
“You need to manage a budget”.
Guillem Gutiérrez 18:49.
This scope helps to understand the scale of a technical project. A design can be prepared and become dependent on a purchase, a manufacturing timeframe, or the availability of a resource.
Coordinating the work involves making those dependencies clear. Planning requires linking design, supply, installation, and validation so the team knows what’s blocking the next phase.
Moving from the concept to a manufactured piece.
The conversation involves decisions regarding vehicle improvements and preparation for the upcoming season. The team reviews what has been learned and studies which systems are best to modify. Creativity is combined with time and resource constraints.
A component requires an appropriate manufacturing process and a method for verifying its results. CNC machining and the Functional prototyping They are part of the tools that engineering projects can use to materialize and validate components.
The choice depends on the function, the material used, and the geometry. For the team, it’s helpful to speak with the manufacturers beforehand, to discuss any details that could complicate deadlines or assembly.
The transfer of knowledge supports evolution.
Guillem emphasizes that the team’s continuity depends on passing on what has been learned. Each season brings in and sees out new students; if the decisions and outcomes aren’t maintained, the next generation could repeat difficulties that have already been resolved.
“The transfer of knowledge”.
Guillem Gutiérrez 52:41.
The documentation needs to explain more than the final version. Detailing why a particular solution was chosen, what failed, and what tests were performed will allow for the reuse of this learning in a considered and effective way.
That principle also applies to an engineering firm. Projects progress more effectively when knowledge can be consulted and shared, rather than being solely held in the memory of one person.
Verify before introducing a complex jump.
The teams are comparing trajectories and propulsion decisions. The conversation reveals that participants don’t all begin with the same starting point, nor do they possess the same accumulated knowledge. A technological shift requires specific resources and expertise.
The applicable criterion is to review what needs to be resolved before increasing complexity. Ambition should be linked to testing, team capabilities, and the schedule. A new architecture can modify several parts of the vehicle simultaneously.
When working with products that incorporate electrical or electronic components, the development process requires careful planning of the relevant testing procedures. This interview does not replace the technical rules of a competition or instructions for working on a vehicle.
The competition as a measure of the accumulated effort.
The guests will evaluate both dynamic and static tests. The team needs to demonstrate how the vehicle functions and explain aspects of the project. This preparation includes not only the physical results but also the ability to justify the decisions made.
The movement and work within the system create operational pressure. Tools, people, and documentation need to be readily available when an issue arises. This experience reveals needs that are not always apparent during the design phase.
The satisfaction being described relates to successfully completing a collaborative project and bringing it to a point of genuine evaluation. This learning process involves engineering, teamwork, and taking responsibility for a final deliverable.
Connecting training and professional practice
Chorouk and Guillem are discussing the time they dedicate to the project and how they combine it with their studies. The episode reflects their experiences in April 2024, with differing priorities and personal paths.
For anyone studying to become an engineer, this case provides an understanding of the work of a design and manufacturing team. The practical exercise requires asking questions, coordinating efforts, and verifying results – skills that are subsequently essential for the development of products and industrial processes.
Questions about engineering in Formula Student
What is learned by developing a racing car for the Formula Student competition?
Design and technical integration, as well as resource management, manufacturing, and teamwork. The guests explain how all these tasks influence the project.
Why is it important to document what happens during each season?
Because team members change. Retaining decisions, tests, and challenges allows the next generation to build upon previous learning.
What to check before changing a major vehicle system?
The available knowledge, the interfaces, the tests, and the schedule. The change should be assessed within the context of the entire project.
Four key takeaways from the chapter.
- Integration connects the decisions made by all departments.
- Budgeting and manufacturing are integral parts of the technical work.
- The documentation allows you to learn between seasons.
- Ambition should be accompanied by resources and validation.
From learning to product development.
At i-mas, we work from design through prototyping and manufacturing preparation. If your team needs support in developing or validating a component Tell us his requirements..
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Source: Original interview from Toque de Ingenio, published on YouTube on April 2, 2024. The experiences, figures, and plans discussed in the interview are reflective of that specific time. The references to i-mas services are the editorial analysis of the article.
