Bloodhound SSC, University of Bath and Bits From Bytes teamed up to deliver what is thought to be one of the first advanced manufacturing workshops of its kind in the newly-opened Bloodhound Education centre in Bristol.

16-19 year old students from all over the south west of England signed up to the three day course and gave up their half term holidays to attend - hardly surprising as they were offered the unique opportunity to explore emerging technologies and their application in the development of the world’s first 1000 mph car.

To kick things off, a visit to the birthplace of the pioneering RepRap in the faculty of Engineering at University of Bath set the scene.  The next obvious step was to begin the build of RapMan 3D printer kits with some key team working messages being learnt along the way.   With no frame of reference other than online manuals and images of the completed machines, the students demonstrated impressive practical and communication skills.

To fully round the experience, discussions around the use of Additive Manufacture (AM) on the Bloodhound took place as well as a crash course in the Siemens NX CAD package used by the Bloodhound engineering team.

By the end of the three days the learners had not only completed the RapMan build, but were also designing and printing components on the BFB 3000 machines resident in the centre.

Bath University’s continued commitment to encouraging applicants from diverse backgrounds was the driving force behind this event taking place and was funded by their Widening Participation team.  Fully supported by BFB who supplied the RapMan kits, the course aimed to inspire the next generation to embark upon careers in engineering and technology.

To maintain the momentum built during their time with the Bloodhound Education Team, all the participants will receive a free subscription to TCT magazine ensuring they are kept up to date with the latest developments in the fast-moving field of AM.