We are proud to announce a new collaboration between 3DRAP Factory and QuartodiLitro, a multidisciplinary team of around thirty students from the University of Padua, drawn from both the humanities and the sciences. Supervised by Professor Matteo Massaro, who teaches Vehicle Dynamics and Applied Mechanics of Machines, the team puts the knowledge gained in the classroom into practice to design and build a high-performance motorcycle prototype. The goal: to carry forward the University of Padua’s tradition of excellence in motorsport.
In this context, 3DRAP was involved in designing and producing a key technical component, made using FDM 3D printing with TPU material: the intake boot.
The intake boot sits between the engine head and the throttle body. It is both a structural and a functional component: it must be flexible enough to be fitted and secured with two metal clamps, while also remaining durable.
The main technical challenges posed by the component were:
– Resistance to atomized gasoline, which passes through it after injection.
– Resistance to high temperatures, estimated at around 150°C during use.
– The need for a custom geometry that could not be replicated with standard off-the-shelf components, such as the original KTM rubber intake manifold.
For this reason, QuartodiLitro chose custom production to allow maximum design freedom and rapid prototype iteration. FDM 3D printing with high-performance technical TPU proved to be the ideal solution: flexibility, chemical and thermal resistance, and the ability to produce a bespoke component quickly.
Our collaboration with QuartodiLitro is a concrete example of how academic research, student passion and advanced technologies can come together to create genuine innovation. For our part, we continue to believe in the value of projects like this, where rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing become tools for nurturing talent and building the future of engineering.
Thank you to the QuartodiLitro team for your trust and enthusiasm: see you on the track!
