Roland DG Australia, a leading manufacturer of wide format inkjet printers and 3D devices, has released a new Roland User Story. The latest user story features team Velocity SFX from St Francis Xavier College in ACT, who used a Roland MODELA MDX-50 Benchtop Milling Machine to make the winning cars for the State Final of the F1 in Schools competition, a global program that educates students in a range of STEM engineering concepts.
The Velocity SFX Team designed their F1 cars using CAD software that is sent to the MDX-50 to shape a rectangular balsa bloc. Once the cars are ready to go, they are raced around a track, powered by a small CO2 cylinder at the rear of the car.
Judges of F1 in Schools were very impressed with the smooth finish of the F1 cars Velocity SFX milled from the MDX-50, and the team scored 84.1% of the total marks, taking home an impressive 13 awards and winning the State Final of the global competition. Russell Cooper, Director of TechSoft Creative Technology, a Roland supplier to the education market, commented: "The F1 in Schools program has had an incredible impact in schools here, and has been pivotal in promoting engineering careers for so many young people".
Dominic Ferraris from Velocity SFX commented: "The MDX-50 was extremely easy-to-use... [it] was reliable and could produce the same car every time we milled… which made for a positive experience for the team." An automated 3D milling machine, the MDX-50 is an ideal solution for short-runs and prototypes. Users of all abilities can mill functional parts with incredible quality on a wide range of materials. Dominic agrees: "The MDX-50 is a diverse machine and has many different uses besides just machining F1 in Schools cars. The school has experimented with milling Balsa, Carbon Fibre and other types of wood."
Due to the team’s high score, they will be attending the national final at the Australian Grand Prix in March 2020. At this event, the team will attempt to qualify for the world finals in Abu Dhabi in 2020. Roland DG and TechSoft Creative Technology wish Velocity SFX the best of luck!
The Roland MDX-50 can be purchased in a package with TechSoft equipment, software, installation and training, and is on the NSW State Govt. Machine Tools Contract, for all NSW schools. To find out more about the MDX-50, go to our website.