The design process is a fine thing; ideating and then iteratively refining the perfect part that, having been passed through FEA and CFD hundreds of times, can verifiably be said to be the ideal compromise between weight, performance, and strength, is satisfying enough in itself to have an engineer endlessly tinkering and fiddling at the margins of the design until the end of time.

However, that impulse must, if a team is to succeed at Formula Student, be restrained. While it is a design competition that tests a teams ability to apply their technical skills into the design of a concept, it is, at a Class One level, equally a test of a teams ability to organise around building a car, with all the challenges that involves.

This is of particular relevance to our team. We started in 2017 to give practical experience to upcoming engineers steeped in theory-heavy academic learning, and mastering the ins and outs of fabricating a real car is a key learning outcome of every engineer that passes through our team. It involves, just as much as designing a car, clear communication, a solid understanding of the limits of what you are doing and what is being done by someone else, and a well organised checklist of only the most up-to-date designs.

This is made even more of a challenge with one arm tie behind our back in ensuring we can comply with COVID restrictions, which, while necessary, amplify miscommunications and could lead to one hand not knowing what the other is doing. Just as much as design, the dozens of parallel processes involved in the work of bringing the car from CAD file to reality require a keen eye to manage all the different teams and ensure that, by the end, a real car pops out like a completed jigsaw.

This might seem like a fantastical image, but it is helpful to view it from this lens of parallel undertakings converging like all the various pieces coming together to form an image. Presently, we are overseeing

Courtesy of friend of the team Terry McElroy, 3D printing for our ergonomics and powertrain parts can be slotted into the quieter periods of work for his series of machines ensuring our air intakes, filters, and miscellaneous bits and bobs can be printed to our exact specification. Andrew of One Down Engineering is just now completing the finishing touches on our chassis, which will have to have tabs and mounts welded into it with intricate precision.

Formula Trinity team members Arnie Sasnauskas, Tadhg Lorcan-Essink, Aaron Dinesh, and Peter Refila are together working on getting the engine to operate at peak performance, fettling it through a careful process of trial and error, and Colm O’Brien and Eoghan Manning are using fibreglass moulding techniques to prepare a body for the car.

Meanwhile, Michael Colwell, Cillian Thomas, and Peter Elovsson are all busy working at manual mills and lathes to hew out our parts. As for myself, I am coming to grips with the CNC and preparing to make more complex parts.

For the next few weeks, we hope to guide you through these processes to bring you into the real nuts and bolts of making your own car. Until then, stay safe!