Customer: Edinburgh University Formula Student Team (EUFS) 

Industry: Formula Student Racing 

Project: Overhaul of electrical-harness-design process. 

Solution: Adoption of Arcadia Design Suite for enhanced design, simulation, and visualization of electrical wiring and connections. 

Consistency in design and production 

Edinburgh University Formula Student Team (EUFS) is a UK powerhouse in Formula Student competitions. They’ve achieved consecutive wins in the driverless category (FS-AI) at the highly competitive annual event for the last six years.

Their success is credited towards a combination of talented students and their access to a range of professional design tools. To maintain their dominance in this fiercely competitive arena, EUFS leverages the Arcadia Design Suite into their operations. The Arcadia Design Suite has proven a great match for the team, significantly enhancing the efficiency and consistency of their design and production. 

Challenge 

Previously, EUFS relied on manual methods and Excel for managing their electrical harnesses. This approach came with inefficiencies: significant power and cable loss, poor space utilization, and an ambiguous debugging process due to the inability to effectively track connections. These issues not only impacted the performance of their car, but also led to increased material waste and time consumption. 

To meet the competitive standards of Formula Student and to foster team growth, EUFS sought solutions to minimize their inefficiencies, which were consuming valuable time and resources. 

Solution 

The transformative solution came with the integration of the Arcadia Design Suite into  their workflow. Arcadia’s platform for the professional design of cable harnesses  enable the team to simulate, visualize, and meticulously plan their electrical distribution systems. This shift not only results in optimal wire and connector selection but also significantly reduces power and cable loss.

Result 

Consistency and Efficiency: The team moved away from the imprecise and time consuming manual systems to a streamlined, accurate, and efficient design process.  Arcadia’s intuitive interface and design rule checks ensure error-free designs that can be executed correctly on the first attempt. 

Enhanced Design and Production: Using Arcadia enables EUFS to maintain a high standard of design and production, effectively addressing and eliminating recurring design issues that have negatively impacted the performance and reliability of their formula-style cars. This improvement gives EUFS a competitive edge, playing a key role in their ongoing success in the racing arena. 

Time and Material Savings: Arcadia’s simulation capabilities enabled efficient use of materials, significantly reducing waste and saving a substantial amount of time during the design phase. This efficiency allowed the team to dedicate more attention to refining various aspects of their cars, while also providing their finance team with greater flexibility in allocating the budget towards other expenses. 

Ongoing Support and Acknowledgment 

EUFS is ever grateful to Cadonix for their indispensable support through the provision of  Arcadia, acknowledging its role in their ongoing success and development. The transition to Arcadia has not only elevated the team’s technical capabilities but also underlined the importance of adopting innovative tools in Formula racing.

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