McGill Formula Electric Deploys AON3D Hylo 3D Printer to Support Formula SAE Electric Competition Efforts

Why It Matters

The ability to quickly fabricate certified, high‑performance parts reduces development costs and accelerates innovation in electric vehicle prototyping, giving student teams a competitive edge in Formula SAE Electric.

Key Takeaways

• McGill uses AON3D Hylo to print race‑ready battery holders
• ULTEM 9085 provides 94 MPa tensile strength and V‑0 flame rating
• Additive manufacturing cuts tooling cost and iteration lead time
• High volume resistivity (>6.89×10¹⁵ Ω·cm) ensures electrical isolation
• Rapid part redesign supports evolving vehicle architecture during testing

Pulse Analysis

Formula SAE Electric challenges university teams to design, build, and race fully electric cars under tight budget and time constraints. Because each vehicle relies on a handful of bespoke components, traditional machining can become a bottleneck, especially when parts must be revised after testing. Additive manufacturing offers a solution: engineers can generate functional prototypes directly from CAD models, eliminating the need for expensive molds and shortening the feedback loop between design and validation.

The AON3D Hylo printer, paired with ULTEM 9085, gives McGill Formula Electric a material platform that rivals metal in strength while retaining the design freedom of 3D printing. With a tensile strength of 94 MPa, a flexural strength of 129 MPa, and a heat‑deflection temperature of 169 °C, the printed battery cell and PCB holder can endure the vibrations and thermal loads of a high‑voltage pack. UL94 V‑0 flame retardancy and a volume resistivity above 6.89×10¹⁵ Ω·cm provide the fire safety and electrical isolation essential for lithium‑ion battery safety, allowing the team to meet competition safety standards without resorting to costly machined parts.

Beyond the campus track, this case highlights a broader shift in automotive engineering toward low‑volume, high‑performance additive manufacturing. By slashing tooling expenses and enabling rapid design iteration, 3D printing empowers small teams and niche manufacturers to experiment with advanced polymers and composite structures that were previously reserved for large OEMs. As electric vehicle architectures become more complex, the ability to produce certified, functional components on demand will be a decisive factor in accelerating innovation and reducing time‑to‑market.