British Formula 1 team inks 3D printing partnership

Stratasys will work closely with the grand prix outfit as it ramps up its rapid manufacturing capacity at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, UK.

Under the agreement, Stratasys will supply McLaren Racing with its latest FDM and PolyJet based 3D printing solutions and cutting-edge materials for visual and functional prototyping, production tooling including composite tooling, and customised production parts – enabling their accelerated delivery while increasing performance and productivity in design and manufacturing operations.

Stratasys CEO, Ilan Levin said: “We’re delighted to be working with such a restless, visionary and ambitious partner. McLaren Racing will be leveraging our nearly 30 years of 3D printing and additive manufacturing experience to stay at the forefront of motorsport technological development.”

Levin continued: “Stratasys will also gain invaluable feedback and insights from working with ultra-high performance automotive applications, which we can then apply to our mainstream automotive and aerospace customers. Equally, McLaren Racing will benefit from the superior productivity, engineering precision and wide gamut of materials that come with our 3D printing solutions.”

Andy Middleton, Stratasys President EMEA, commented: “The speed and technological precision required to be the best in Formula 1 is a perfect fit for Stratasys. The two companies share a deep passion and commitment to push the technology envelope, as we prepare to define the new frontier of 3D printing for Formula 1. We look forward to developing a very close working relationship with McLaren, particularly between our respective application and engineering teams.”

Eric Boullier, Racing Director of McLaren Racing said: “The ability to rapidly model, build and evaluate new components is an invaluable asset for any fast-moving and dynamic racing organisation. But our new partnership with Stratasys will not only increase our output in that area, but also allow us to dynamically explore and utilise the cutting-edge of Stratasys’ new 3D printing innovations and solutions. It has become clear that motorsport’s reliance on rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing, and the ability to radically cut time to market, is increasing and we look to being well served by our new alliance with Stratasys.”

Finally, John Cooper, Commercial and Finance Director of McLaren Racing, said: “We’ve already established an extremely close and fruitful relationship with the team at Stratasys, and I’m personally looking forward to expanding that relationship in the future. Stratasys’ expertise in the rapid tooling and manufacturing arena is second to none, and we firmly believe that we can forge a partnership that will prove extremely valuable to both of us.”