The shortage of skilled workers has been an omnipresent problem on the labor market for years. According to the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, half of the 22,000 companies surveyed in 2023 were only able to fill some or all of their vacancies. The Association of German Engineers (VDI) also paints a bleak picture: In a study it conducted itself, the VDI came up with 170,300 vacancies on the job market for engineers at the end of 2022. An increase of almost 22 percent compared to the previous year. This makes it all the more important to make training as attractive as possible.

This is where university projects such as Formular Student come into play – an annual engineering competition in which student teams from all over the world design, build and drive their own racing cars. Since it was first held in 1979, the design competition has continued to develop. Now, more than 600 universities and colleges from over 20 countries take part.

Over the years, the requirements have increased, but so have the skills of the teams. Formula Student is now regarded as a talent factory for engineers in motorsport. For instance, the ETH Zurich racing team set a new world record in September 2023: The student team’s racing car accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in 0.956 seconds – faster than any electric vehicle had ever done before.

GKD supports teams from Cologne to Singapore

Suitable materials are needed so that the young engineers can build their electrically powered racing cars. Material sponsors such as GKD play an important role in this.

Around ten years ago, a team knocked on the door of the Düren-based family business for the first time. Since then, GKD has supported numerous teams from Singapore to Vienna – and thus the future engineers of automotive, aerospace and aviation technology. GKD is equipping ten teams with fabric for the 2024 season.

• KA Racing Karlsruhe
• TU Wien Racing
• University Racing Eindhoven
• NUS Singapur Formula SAE
• Akademischer Motorsportverein Zürich
• ETH Formula Student Project
• Institut Politecnic del Campus Terrassa (IPCT)
• eMotorsports Cologne
• ZHAW IMS LEA-Labor/Formula Student

Optimal mesh for EMI shielding and reduction of surface resistance

The 72-gram copper wire mesh supplied by GKD is used both in the battery housing and in the monocoque of the racing car.

Qualified for the aviation industry, the mesh in the battery enclosure provides electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. It protects the battery from external electromagnetic interference and at the same time prevents the surrounding electronics from being affected or disturbed by the battery’s radiation.

A monocoque is typically made from composite materials, which include materials such as glass or carbon fiber. To reduce the surface resistance of the monocoque, copper wire mesh is added to this composite material. This prevents the monocoque from becoming statically charged. The GKD mesh has a shielding effect with regard to electromagnetic interference (EMI).