High-performance fasteners play a crucial role in helping the Stockholm-based team build their most advanced electric vehicle yet.
TR, part of the Trifast plc Group is proud to renew its silver sponsorship of the KTH Formula Student Stockholm team for the 2025 competition, providing a range of high-specification fasteners that quite literally hold together the self-driving car engineered by the students.
Formula Student is the world’s largest educational engineering competition, challenging students to design, manufacture and race an electric car with autonomous capabilities. With over 100 KTH Royal Institute of Technology students participating, the programme encourages hands-on innovation, teamwork and real-world problem solving, serving a vital transition between academia and professional engineering careers.
This year, TR has once again supplied a wide range of precision components, including:
- Grade 12.9 Male Fasteners (M4–M6): These high-strength bolts are essential in structural, high-load areas such as the chassis, suspension and transmission, offering both strength and weight-saving potential - a must in racing environments.
- Wire-Thread Inserts: Critical for use in aluminium components, these provide high-strength threads in lightweight materials, maintaining performance while reducing weight by up to 60%.
- Cable Glands: Made from nickel-plated brass, these are used in the firewall and to protect and seal high-voltage cables - key to electrical safety and shielding in high-performance and demanding environments.
- Heat-Sert Inserts: Installed into plastic components across the car, these allow reusable metric threads and support repeated assembly and disassembly without degradation.
TR’s engineering-grade fasteners are treated with zinc flake coatings to ensure superior corrosion resistance, friction control and to eliminate the risk of hydrogen embrittlement, ideal for the challenging and dynamic environments of Formula Student competition.
Patrik Ringdahl, Project Engineer at TR and a KTH Alumnus, commented: “As an engineering-led business, we’re incredibly proud to champion the next generation of engineers through hands-on initiatives like this. Our relationship with KTH goes beyond sponsorship, it’s about enabling innovation and investing in the future of the industry. We can’t wait to see the 2025 car hit the track!”
Alexander Edenholm, Project Leader with the KTH Stockholm team, commented: “With over 800 teams taking part in Formula Student competitions worldwide, the level of global talent and innovation is higher than ever. One of the highlights for us this year is competing in Formula Student Germany’s 20th anniversary event, which will host 84 of the world’s top teams.
“Having a trusted sponsor like TR behind us makes a tangible difference, not just in the quality of the components, but in the confidence we have as a team. Their support empowers us to push boundaries in design, reduce weight, increase safety and ultimately build a car that reflects the very best of student engineering.”
The KTH Stockholm team has been recognised in previous competitions and is aiming for top-category success once again in 2025. With students dedicating over 15 hours a week across the academic year to the design and build process, TR’s components will support critical performance in every nut, bolt and screw used on the vehicle.
