Miniature F1 Front Wing

Overview

Formula 1 teams use composite molding for many of their car components because it allows them to create lightweight, strong, and precisely shaped parts that can handly aerodynamic loads. Molds are typically used to form pieces like wings, body panels, and aerodynamic ducts by layering composite material inside a shaped cavity and curing it to capture surface details.

For this project, I wanted to explore a small-scale version of this process. I chose the front wing because it's an interesting example of both aero design and manufacturing through molding. I've also always wanted to experiment with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), so this felt like a good opportunity to connect simulations and fabrication.

My plan is to design a simplified, miniature version of an F1 front wing. Instead of trying to recreate a full multi-element front wing in one go, I'll design a single mainplane element as a minimum viable product, use CFD to look at how air might flow over it, and then create and machine a mold using the same basic idea as the negative molds used in real composites manufacturing, to cast a small physical version of the part. To manufacture it at a larger scale than the 3in x 6in x 1.5in wax blocks permit, I will divide the mold into multiple wax blocks. Each wax block will be machined with its portion of the mold cavity along with interlocking features—like tabs, slots, or dovetails, so the segments can assemble into one perfectly aligned larger mold. After machining, I can heat-blend the wax seams so the internal cavity becomes smooth and continuous. Once assembled, the multi-block wax mold forms a single large negative cavity, allowing me to cast the entire wing as one continuous piece in Rocklite/Hydrostone instead of gluing smaller segments together. This modular tooling approach lets me create a bigger, more impressive wing while still working within the size constraints of the small wax blocks provided for the assignment.

If time and resources permit, I will do the same for the 2nd flap and endplates. Perhaps, I may even try different molding and casting procedures. 🤞

Design

I began the design by sketching a simplified front-wing mainplane based on Formula One's new 2026 regulations. The sketch gave me a quick sense of propotion and helped me lock in a form that was both aerodynamic-inspired and realistically moldable.

After sketching, I used SolidWorks to create a 3D model of the front wing since I'm most confident with this CAD software. Additionally, SolidWorks has a separate Flow Simulations software, and I figured that this would make integration more seamless. Below is the first iteration of the design.

I then made adjustments to ensure straightforward removal of the part from the mold. For example, real front wings taper to an extremely thin trailing edge, but this would create a fragile feature in the plaster. I adjusted the geometry to make it thicker so that the feature would survive machining, molding, and demolding without breaking. Another thing that I needed to consider is toolpath accessibility. The Intelitek (milling machine used for this assignment) uses a 1/8in endmill, which means that the tool cannot physically enter sharp corner. This is similar to the issues that we would run into for milling on the Onsrud. I added fillets on sharp corners. I also added tapered sides as recommended so that casts could be more easily removed.

Below is the second iteration of the design with these added constraints.

To understand whether this design makes sense aerodynamically, I imported the wing model into SolidWorks Flow simulation. I set up a simple external-flow simulation and then ran a steady-state anaylsis to visualize pressure distribution, streamlines around the curvature, dead zones and drag behaviour.

The simulation revealed a few shortcomings of the design, so I made the necessary adjustments to improve the design and re-ran the simulation. Here is the final iteration.

Mold Engineering

Having finalized the aerodynamic shape, I split the model along its mid-plane into an upper and lower half to create the complementary surfaces of the positive mold. I then CAD'ed a rectangular mold box around each half.

I also added registration keys, as advised in Adrian's train mold assignment to allow for precision alignment of the multiple mold pieces. These are small/indentations on one mold half that lock into corresponding feature on the other half, preventing shifting during casting.

I also designed cylindrical inlets where silicone can be poured into the mold, and another set where air comes out. See final wax mold design below.

With the mold CAD complete, I exported the mold halves as separate tool bodies and prepared them for CNC machining. I exported my model as a STEP file and imported it into Mastercam where the shop manager assisted me in setting up toolpaths.

I milled the mold halves on the Intelitek 3-axis milling machine. Once machining was complete, I cleaned the cavities, checked theparting line for cohesion, and lightly sanded certain areas to ensu

Molding