Product category:
Motor sports manufacturing: fabrication and assembly
News Release from: Delcam | Subject: PS-Team task management system
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 17 December 2002
Software helped students build better
racing car
The "Formula Student Team" at Warwick University, in Coventry, UK, used Delcam's PS-Team task management system to help them build a better racing car.
The "Formula Student Team" at Warwick University, in Coventry, UK, used Delcam's PS-Team task management system to help them build a better racing car The team designed and manufactured a single-seater racing car from scratch, using an extensively modified motorcycle engine, in order to compete against other universities from the UK, Europe and the USA
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 29 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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The competition, which is organised in the UK by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, challenges undergraduate students to put their academic knowledge into practice by designing a product that is innovative, competitive and reliable, and then deliver it to the race on time.
Nearly 50 students were involved in the project, which was managed entirely by a group of students in the fourth year of their mechanical engineering degree.
Individual students or small groups were responsible for developing assemblies, such as chassis, suspension, brakes, steering, and cooling and engine management systems.
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A huge amount of communication and collaboration was needed to ensure that all the assemblies would fit and work properly together.
In addition to resolving technical issues and design management problems arising with the parts designed in-house, all parts, including those sourced externally, had to be accurately costed so that a predicted cost of a production version of the car could be calculated.
A cost report had to be compiled and a marketing presentation made as part of the competition.
Dr Tim Goodhead, a Lecturer in the Department of Engineering, summarised the advantages of using PS-Team for the students undertaking the project.
"The software allowed all members of the team to track progress of every task that affected them and permitted them to make other interested parties aware of the status of their own tasks.
The visibility of all activity made it very clear when there was a potential bottleneck and allowed it to be dealt with, possibly even before it had caused a problem." PS-Team also provided benefits for the staff monitoring their progress.
"It enabled non-intrusive monitoring of the team's progress by academic staff," said Dr Goodhead.
"Staff could observe who was really initiating ideas or taking the lead in decision making and who was performing the laborious but essential analytical work so that appropriate credit could be given.
PS-Team allowed the emphasis to be placed on teamworking. Request a free brochure from Delcam ...
The competitive spirit that Formula Student encourages could be focused on working together.".
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