F1 In Schools
The F1 in schools challenge is the largest secondary school technology program in the world. It integrates all aspects of STEM ( science, technology, engineering and maths) to build a brand and create a miniature f1 car, which is propelled down a track by a Co2 canister.
The Car
The car is arguably the most important aspect of the program, and our design engineer, Tom Jones, spends nearly five hours a week modelling and refining our cars design. Although out of the box thinking is needed to come up with revolutionary designs, there are countless rules and regulations on every single aspect of the car that we need to abide by, so the engineer needs to know every single regulation and edit and refine our car to fit perfectly under these regulations.
The car is designed on a 3D CAD program and then the final models are machined on a CNC ( Computer Numerical Control) machine and carved out of a block of balsa wood. Once the car is printed, sealed, painted with two coats of paint and certain sponsors stickers are applied to the car, it is ready to be raced down a twenty-metre track via a Co2 canister, and can reach speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour.
Promotional Booth
For our booth, we have tried to use all of the space provided as efficiently as possible. We have used angled side panels to make viewing the information at a quick glance simple. We have a monitor that can show our cars design in the 3D CAD program or our website to implement digital technology into our booth. We have added light strips to accent our colour scheme and give our promotional booth additional visual appeal to attract viewers.
The promotional booth is an essential piece for marketing and informing spectators of our team, so our design had to be eye-catching and engaging to draw viewers in, while still displaying enough general information about our team and our journey. To design and construct this booth Manufacturing engineer Hamish Macdonald and Graphic designer Tim Allard work together to create a professional looking and innovative design to wow the judges.
Portfolios
A major region of work in F1 in schools is designing portfolios. Each team has to create three separate portfolios; the enterprise portfolio (Follows work regarding team structure and identity), the engineering portfolio, (Explains the design of the car) and finally, the engineering compliance, which shows each piece and aspect of the car and its main measurements in high quality renders.
