Providing students with access to pressure forming technology on the benchtop at Bristol university

Pressure forming is increasingly being used by engineering professionals in diverse industries from product design to aerospace and beyond. To prepare students for industry and to explore the benefits of pressure forming, educational institutions like MIT, Harvard and Bristol university are installing the Mayku Multiplier in their workshops and labs to provide students with access to this powerful technology.

Bristol university recently purchased a Multiplier for use across multiple departments and societies. These include SEDS (students for the exploration and development of space), DASI2 (Department for aerospace vehicle design and system development) and Bristol Racing (student led racing team competing in the Greenpower F24 event).

Franciso is studying mechanical engineering at Bristol University and is part of the Bristol Racing team. We caught up with him on how he is using the Multiplier. 

This year they are attempting to improve the aerodynamics of their racing car ahead of their next race. Spoked wheels create a lot of drag on the vehicle, therefore they are attempting to create strong, light, low tolerance wheel covers that will help increase the aerodynamics of their vehicle. 

Their workshop is kitted out with various equipment - lathes, CNC mills, 3D printing machines and laser cutters. With the recent addition of the Multiplier, they decided to try making eight wheel covers (one for each side of four wheels) using a CNC machine to make the master template in MDF.

With a master template in hand, Bristol racing are now ready to start producing a small batch of eight parts for their vehicle. 

Giving students access to mass manufacturing equipment at the desktop scale provides valuable experience to engineering students, product design students and the wider student population of the university.