3D Printing Motorsport Parts: Munich Motorsport Case Study

MunicHMotorsport's PWeX.20 Formula Student race car runs more than 100 3D printed parts straight from its in-house Sinterit Lisa PRO. The team, based at Hochschule Munich, designs and builds electric all-wheel-drive carbon-fibre monocoque race cars on a student-volunteer budget. Sinterit reports the switch to in-house SLS gave the team a faster way to source 3D printing motorsport parts than any outsourced machinist would match. The cost case fits a donation-funded team.

Inside MunicHMotorsport's switch to in-house SLS 3D printing

Formula Student is an international engineering league. Teams from universities around the world design, build and race their own electric race cars. The competition rewards engineering judgement as much as lap times. Every car answers to a strict cost cap. Sinterit reports MunicHMotorsport runs the team out of Hochschule Munich. Engineers split across Chassis, Aerodynamics, Suspension, Electronics and other subgroups.

Funding for any Formula Student team comes from donations and sponsorships. Frugality is built into every design call. Where sponsorships fall short, the team weighs whether to buy off-the-shelf or build the part from materials on hand. This decision tree changed once the Sinterit Lisa PRO arrived. In-house SLS made "build it" the cheaper answer for more parts than outsourcing ever did.

How 3D printing motorsport parts reduces weight and part count

Race cars reward part-count reduction the way airliners reward weight savings. Fewer parts equal lower total weight, better reliability, and less manufacturing difficulty. Sinterit reports MunicHMotorsport leans on SLS to consolidate small assemblies into single printed parts. The example the team cites is a cable gland on the chassis. One printed piece serves the Chassis, Suspension and Electrical teams' inputs in a single component.

Before the Lisa PRO, the same cable gland would have been three separate machined or off-the-shelf items, fastened together. After SLS, it became one printed solution. Multiply this across more than 100 parts on the PWeX.20 and the practical part-count saving is significantly higher. Sinterit reports the design flexibility of additive manufacturing, with the near-isotropic strength of industrial SLS, made the printer the team's default solution for cross-subsystem parts.

Why in-house SLS beats outsourced machining for student race teams

Outsourcing custom motorsport parts has a habit of eating sponsorship money. Machinists charge for setup, fixturing and short runs. Specialist job shops are even less interested in one-off Formula Student work. Sinterit reports MunicHMotorsport found maximising in-house production on the Lisa PRO drove down per-part cost for all the 3D printing motorsport parts on the car.

The economic case is simple. A donation-funded team gets more car for the same budget by absorbing 3D printing motorsport parts in-house. Sinterit reports the team's printed-part count has grown year on year. The value of in-house SLS becomes self-evident. The current car runs more than 100 printed components, and the effective count is higher once you tally up the multi-part assemblies SLS replaced.

For a parallel student-racing example, the FORZE Hydrogen Racing case study covers a comparable in-house 3D printing programme on a different platform. The BNP Sinterit Lisa X case study shows the same in-house SLS economics in commercial production.

What 3D printing motorsport parts means for Australian teams today

MunicHMotorsport's case study describes the Sinterit Lisa PRO, the compact SLS model Sinterit launched before the current generation. The Sinterit Lisa X has replaced the Lisa PRO as the company's flagship compact SLS printer. The Lisa X uses a 30 W laser, a 130 × 180 × 330 mm build volume, and the same in-house workflow.

Australian Formula SAE teams, university motorsport programmes and motorsport engineering R&D departments have two practical entry points. The Sinterit Lisa X suits teams needing the largest build volume and the full Sinterit material range, including PA-12 industrial powder. The Sinterit Suzy is the entry-level option for smaller benches, smaller team budgets, and lower power requirements. Both let you bring SLS production in-house without the running cost of an industrial line.

If your team is debating in-house SLS for its 3D printing motorsport parts against outsourced machining for the next race season, the Lisa PRO's run with MunicHMotorsport gives you a benchmark. Over 100 printed parts on one car. Request a tailored quote for the Australian setup matched to your budget.

Frequently asked questions

How many 3D printed parts does MunicHMotorsport use in a race car?

More than 100 3D printing motorsport parts run on MunicHMotorsport's current PWeX.20 Formula Student race car. Sinterit reports the team prints these in-house on the Sinterit Lisa PRO. The effective part count is higher once the multi-component assemblies replaced by single SLS prints are tallied.

What is the Sinterit Lisa PRO used for in motorsport?

The Sinterit Lisa PRO is a compact SLS 3D printer used for in-house production of 3D printing motorsport parts. MunicHMotorsport runs the Lisa PRO to print cable glands, mounts, and other consolidated multi-team components for its Formula Student race car. The in-house workflow replaces outsourced machining for short runs.

Which Sinterit SLS printer should Australian motorsport teams choose today?

Australian motorsport teams sourcing their 3D printing motorsport parts in-house should choose the Sinterit Lisa X as the current flagship replacing the Lisa PRO in this case study. The Sinterit Suzy is the entry-level alternative for smaller team budgets, with the same PA-12 industrial powder workflow as the Sinterit Lisa X.

Does SLS 3D printing replace machined custom motorsport parts?

SLS 3D printing replaces machined custom motorsport parts in cases where short runs, complex geometry, or multi-subsystem integration make machining uneconomic. MunicHMotorsport uses its Sinterit Lisa PRO, and the equivalent Sinterit Lisa X for Australian buyers, to consolidate parts across Chassis, Suspension and Electrical teams into single printed components.

Why is in-house SLS cheaper for Formula Student teams?

In-house SLS is cheaper for Formula Student teams because it removes machinist setup costs, job-shop minimum-run charges, and outsourcing markups on short runs. Sinterit reports MunicHMotorsport maximises Lisa PRO in-house production of 3D printing motorsport parts to keep per-part costs low across its donation-funded build.

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Want to bring 3D printing motorsport parts production in-house with the full Sinterit SLS range? See the Sinterit collection for full specifications and Australian pricing.

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