There’s a certain feeling you get when sitting trackside at high-speed races. The roar of the engines, the smell of fuel and rubber providing an adrenaline rush for both drivers and fans alike. It’s the sheer power of these machines that instills so much awe. And the same goes for any high-performance environment – whether it’s competitive sailing on the open seas or airplanes traveling faster than the speed of sound. There’s nothing like it. At Stratasys, we’re very proud to be right in the thick of it – and excited to announce our new Performance Partner Program and Summit.
There’s a lot that goes on before these powerful machines actually hit the track, air or water. Endurance and elegance of design is critical - but so is aerodynamics, strength, and heat deflection to name a few. For some years, designers and engineers of these amazing machines have endeavored to create strong, but lightweight 3D printed parts for both prototypes and final production.
We’ve all seen a 3D printed helmet here, a bicycle seat there. But never before has there been a focused, collaborative group of the who’s who of these industries -dedicated to advancing the use of additive manufacturing across these high-performance environments. That is…until now.
Today, Stratasys is proud to officially launch our Performance Partner Program – bringing together leaders in auto racing, competitive sailing and next-generation supersonic travel to push the boundaries of additive manufacturing. We’re kicking off everything today with a first-of-its-kind event right in the heart of Speedway, Indiana. And the roster of participants does not disappoint:
Never before has there been a collaboration of this magnitude, featuring those actually utilising additive manufacturing in these extreme environments. Each is maximising use of Stratasys Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) to match extreme design and manufacturing requirements. The Stratasys range of engineering-grade 3D printers are ideal for building advanced conceptual models, functional prototypes, durable tools and production parts.
Many of our partners are using FDM ULTEM™ 9085 for parts needing superior properties and the lowest production variance; Stratasys ST-130 sacrificial tooling filament to aid in the production of hollow composite parts; and FDM Nylon 12 Carbon Fibre and ASA materials to create actual production parts, rugged tooling and advanced prototypes - matching demands for strength and stiffness of carbon-filled composite material.
And these partners are doing some amazing things. Over at Penske, an expanded technical partnership empowers their engineering and manufacturing efforts for both NASCAR and IndyCar racing platforms. This provides a tremendous advantage in production of better, stronger and more aerodynamic race car parts – getting cars on the track faster. With American Magic – challenger for the 36th America’s Cup - the team is taking carbon fibre to the water raceway for high-speed, lightweight production parts. This gives these competitive sailing yachts a sleeker, more aerodynamic design – one that can be tested and modified from race-to-race.
These relationships are going even further with the first-ever Performance Partner Summit today. Our partners are converging for a full-day session to not only explore how each is capitalizing on additive manufacturing, but get a closer look at key applications and products to make additive manufacturing even more powerful. The intent is to create a formal environment of collaboration as partners explore advanced approaches to get faster, become more competitive, and go farther than ever before.
The race is on…For more information about leveraging Stratasys advanced additive manufacturing in your industrial environment, see our Fortus 450mc or F900 pages – or check out our case studies on Team Penske or Don Schumacher Racing to see what partners are achieving with Stratasys additive manufacturing.
Until the next race – we’ll see YOU in the winner’s circle!
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