Stewart-Haas Racing & 3D Systems Enter Technical Partnership for Racing Parts

When you’re making automotive components for a NASCAR team, designing them for enhanced performance and speed is key to winning. So, in order to gain a more competitive advantage on the track, Stewart-Haas Racing has entered into a multi-year technical partnership with 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD). The NASCAR team has used the company’s 3D printing systems in the past to improve its racecars, and now through this three-year partnership, the two can rapidly design, test, and produce durable, high-performance parts and critical components to help the team continue bringing home championship wins.

“As part of our work within motorsports, 3D Systems understands how critical speed is — not just on the track, but in technical development to improve car performance. By partnering with Stewart-Haas Racing, we are able to combine their capabilities with the benefit of 3D Systems’ advanced materials and printing technology to develop competitive advantages for them — on and off the track,” said Reji Puthenveetil, Executive Vice president, Industrial Solutions, 3D Systems.

The North Carolina-based team Stewart-Haas Racing is co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, the founder of Haas Automation, which is North America’s largest CNC machine tool builder. So the organization is clearly built on racing and engineering skills already. The team has won a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, two NASCAR Cup Series titles, and more than 90 NASCAR races, including the Southern 500, Daytona 500, and Brickyard 400. In order to continue its prowess on the track, Stewart-Haas Racing relies on 3D Systems’ technology, specifically the ProX 800 SLA 3D printer and Figure 4 Standalone system.

Figure 4 Standalone

Both of these 3D Systems printers have been used for racecar applications in the past, and Stewart-Haas Racing will specifically be using the Figure 4 Standalone to produce pit gun, TV camera, and pit cart components, in addition to other prototype parts. The ProX 800, on the other hand, will help the team with rapid design and production of large aerodynamic parts for wind tunnel testing; the printer will enable the parts to be made with precise dimensional accuracy and a smooth surface finish.

The team also uses Oqton’s Geomagic Wrap 3D scanning and imaging software in its manufacturing workflow for the purpose of collecting and processing scan data from its racecar components, in order to create digital design files that allow for shape deviation comparison. Plus, Stewart-Haas Racing uses 3D Systems’ 3D Sprint software to prepare and optimize CAD data, as well as to manage the process on both 3D printers.

ProX 800

At the Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 3D Systems and Stewart-Haas Racing will make their first appearance together as technical partners at the season-opening NASCAR Xfinity Series race. The No. 00 Ford Mustang, driven by Cole Custer, will feature the 3D Systems logo.

“At Stewart-Haas Racing, it is important that we have a technical partner like 3D Systems to provide the tools we need to develop components that ultimately increase the speed of our racecars. The Pro X 800 and the Figure 4 printers enable us to print very large and very small, accurate, smooth-surface finish parts as quickly as possible. The speed in which we can design the component, print it, and test it in the wind tunnel is our most valuable resource to making our cars faster at the racetrack. The materials that are available for these machines enable us to print a range of prototype parts and track capable parts for our cars,” said Reneau Van Landingham, Production Manager, Stewart-Haas Racing. “I am confident that this technical partnership between 3D Systems and Stewart-Haas Racing will enable both companies to win in the additive manufacturing space and on the racetrack.”

(Source/Images: 3D Systems)