Formula SAE Student Design - Products Finishing Cup

Formula SAE is a collegiate student design competition organized by SAE International. The concept behind Formula SAE Student Design is that a fictional manufacturing company has contracted a design team to develop a small Formula-style race car. The prototype race car is to be evaluated for its potential as a production item. The target marketing group for the race car is the non-professional weekend autocross racer.

Each college team designs, builds and tests a prototype based on a series of rules whose purpose is both to ensure onsite event operations and promote clever problem solving.

Where the finishing industry comes in is that metal finishers from around the U.S. can partner with their local collegiate team in helping them get their car parts ready for competition, including helping them decide on a plating technique and design assistance.

Formula SAE promotes careers and excellence in engineering as it encompasses all aspects of the automotive industry including research, design, manufacturing, testing, developing, marketing, management, and finances. Formula SAE takes students out of the classroom and allows them to apply textbook theories to real work experiences.

Today, the competition has expanded and includes a number of spin off events. In the U.S. there are two locations: California and Michigan; Michigan being the largest event and longest running.

Products Finishing magazine wishes to help these collegiate teams by connecting them with their local finishing shops to help foster a partnership between the finishing industry and tomorrow's manufacturing engineers.

Products Finishing will support the promotion and advancement of this partnership by listing below the finishing shops who are partnering with the Formula SAE schools.

In addition, Products Finishing will award the "Products Finishing Cup" to the finishing shop with the highest final score at the Formula SAE Michigan competition May 14-17 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.

To partner with your local collegiate Formula SAE team, please select the link below and contact your team directly, then let Products Finishing know you are partnership with that school by emailing Tim.Pennington@PFonline.com and letting him know.

If you need assistance contacting a collegiate team, please email collegiatecompetitions@sae.org and let them know you want to help a particular school.