Arizona State University Solar Devils
The Solar Devils journey at Mach One first began in the fall of 2022, when a member of the club who was interning with Mach One at the time asked for help. Mach One eagerly agreed and immediately offered their support to the club. During the first year of the partnership, Mach One served in an advisory capacity, meeting with the team often offering design consultation and advice. Once the Solar Devils had conquered the initial design phase and began to shift towards manufacturing, Mach One once again stepped in offering up shop space and supplies for the team to use in order to build the solar car.
During the summer of 2023, we undertook our first major project together, manufacturing a welding fixture table that would serve as the base for many future endeavors to come. In the fall of the same year, the Solar Devils began construction of their first generation vehicle utilizing the tools and space graciously provided to them. Mach One Solutions provided invaluable technical expertise in the design and fabrication of the chassis for the Solar Devils vehicle.
Over the next several months, Mach One was able to guide the Solar Devils through the challenges of chassis fabrication, connecting the club with various industry experts to provide guidance and teaching in several key areas such as welding and tube coping. In the spring of 2024, the chassis fabrication was completed, and members of Solar Devils began working on auxiliary vehicle systems. Prototype spindles for the vehicle were manufactured in house using the lathe, allowing the Solar Devils to rapidly prototype, test, and improve their designs.
In the fall of 2024 the Solar Devils began working on composite manufacturing, relying on Mach One’s years of experience in the industry to help guide the early stages of the composite projects in the right directions. The club also continued developing and assembling the front suspension of the vehicle and began fabrication of the steering system. In the spring of 2024 a Capstone project within Solar Devils, designing and building a trailing arm for the vehicle, was completed with the help of Mach One for both fabrication and various strength testing of the finished part. Additionally, control arms for the front suspension were fabricated and installed on the vehicle.
The team then began shifting focus to composite manufacturing once again, working with Mach One to ensure molds were designed properly. The Solar Devils worked together with Mach One to develop a cutting edge 3d-printed dust collection system for the shop as they worked towards ramping up production of MDF and Foam Board molds on the Mach One CNC router. The Solar Devils continued working towards completion of the vehicle by the summer of 2024. As the progress on the first generation vehicle continues, the Solar Devils aim to work together with Mach One to get the vehicle driving. With Mach One’s ever-expanding capabilities, the Solar Devils look to manufacture complex custom parts in house. With the addition of the CNC Mill to Mach One’s shop, the Solar Devils hope to manufacture various vehicle components that will allow for the constant improvement of the vehicle moving forward. As Mach One continues to grow, so do the Solar Devils. We aim to maintain a fruitful and continuing partnership with Mach One for years to come allowing both current and future club members the opportunity to develop cutting edge technologies for the solar vehicle with expert oversight and extensive manufacturing capabilities.
