How do you support a customer who has come to represent top tier performance while upholding the winning attitude and competitive edge that have given that customer their unique place in history? How do you provide service to demanding industry leaders who drive performance results through innovation? You become a part of the team. Stratasys has embarked on such a partnership, supplying McLaren Racing with a suite of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions. Stratasys is working closely with the Formula 1 team as it ramps up its rapid manufacturing capacity at the Formula 1® cars race at very high speeds – up to 227 mph (365 km/h)– utilizing power units that reach a maximum of 15,000 revolutions per minute (RPM). The cars are capable of amazing feats, things like lateral acceleration, and the creation of so much downforce they can rip manhole covers off the ground or drive upside down on the ceiling of a tunnel. Eric Boullier, Racing Director of McLaren Racing recently stated, “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.” Stratasys is already working closely to deliver what McLaren seeks to achieve in this innovative era of manufacturing, the ability to rapidly model, build and evaluate new components for their majestic cars, by enabling accelerated delivery while increasing performance and productivity in design and manufacturing operations.
This partnership is about technology first. Many times a partnership’s benefits are measured with marketing centric metrics, like brand awareness and reach, this is a little different. All of our racing partnerships, including McLaren Honda, are about technology first, and moving it forward in innovative ways that mutually benefit all involved, even from an industry perspective. We will be able to perfect our applications in environments that push them farther and faster than any other environment that they’ve ever been tested, which will ultimately lead to better solutions for our clients now and in the future.
