McLaren Racing has signed a 4-year partnership agreement with U.S.-based and Stratasys Ltd. for the supply of 3-D printing and additive manufacturing systems to the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team, the car maker has announced.
Stratasys, in a Jan. 24 statement, will work closely with the grand prix outfit as it ramps up its rapid manufacturing capacity at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England.
The U.S. manufacturer of 3-D production systems will supply McLaren Racing with its latest FDM and PolyJet-based 3-D printing systems and materials for visual and functional prototyping. Additionally, Stratasys will be supplying production tooling including composite tooling, and customized production parts to McLaren Racing.
According to Eric Boullier, racing director at McLaren Racing, the partnership is expected to enable the car-maker to “rapidly model, build and evaluate new components.”
“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,” Boullier said.
“McLaren Racing will be leveraging our nearly 30 years of 3-D printing and additive manufacturing experience to stay at the forefront of motorsport technological development,” said Stratasys CEO Ilan Levin.