Aiming for the Land Speed Record

The Bloodhound SSC is a supersonic car currently in development that aims to set a new world land speed record of 1,000 mph. Delcam is playing its part in keeping the project on track.

Delcam Professional Services has manufactured its first part for the Bloodhound SSC (Supersonic Car) adventure. The component is part of the steering support column and is essential in ensuring that the car remains on track during its world land-speed record attempt.

Bloodhound SSC aims to set the record in South Africa in 2016.  Delcam is supporting the project with its manufacturing software, as well as producing components for the record-breaking vehicle in the Advanced Manufacturing Facility at its Birmingham headquarters. 

Several Delcam customers and technical partners, including the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center in Sheffield, are using the company’s CAD/CAM software to manufacture parts for the ultimate jet- and rocket-powered racing car.

The steering support column was produced on Delcam’s Hermle C50 UMT machining center, which offers five-axis machining through the incorporation of a trunnion for the A axis and a rotary table to provide the C axis.

Powered by a jet and a rocket, the Bloodhound SSC is approximately 46 feet in length, weighs over 7 tons, and produces more than 135,000 horsepower—more than 6 times the power of all F1 cars on a starting grid put together.