Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen adds depowdering systems from AM Solutions
June 15, 2021
Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen has announced a partnership with AM Solutions, a German brand of the Rösler Group. As part of the agreement to bolster the team’s post-processing of additively manufactured parts, Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen will acquire three of the company’s S1 machines.
With AM having an increasingly profound effect on every aspect of industrial manufacturing, including that of a Formula 1 team, AM Solutions provides access to industrial solutions for partially- to fully-automated postprocessing of polymer and metal parts for all AM technologies.
Over three hundred AM parts feature on the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen C41 race car, competing in the 2021 Formula 1 world championship, and the ability to have more precisely made items created in an efficient and cost-effective way will provide benefits to the team. The team’s S1 system will be used for the automatic depowdering and cleaning of small to midsize volumes of AM parts and offers the team new technical features – such as a basket design for optimal distribution and circulation of the parts, a specially-developed wear protection lining made of non-staining anti-static polyurethane, ATEX conformity, and safe & ergonomic machine handling.
“We are delighted to partner with Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN in the field of post processing of additive manufactured parts,” stated Stephan Rösler, president & CEO of the Rösler Group. “As an early adopter of 3D printing, Sauber has recognised the importance of post-processing in terms of automation, cost effectiveness and repeatability in the AM production chain. Their deep knowledge and experience will help us to further improve our solutions and to increase the awareness of our still-young AM Solutions brand. We will bring our decades of know-how in surface finishing combined with our tailor made solutions for the needs and challenges of AM to the track. By this partnership, we create a perfect win-win situation for two highly innovative companies, that always strive for the max.”
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal, Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen and CEO of Sauber Motorsport AG, stated, “Additive Manufacturing is playing an ever-increasing role in Formula 1 and every new iteration of our race cars feature more 3D printed parts – in addition to those used in other operations of the company, from the wind tunnel models to experimental parts. The innovations brought by AM Solutions help us create parts quickly, more efficiently and with less waste, meaning we gain on time and money, two resources available in very finite amounts in our sport, while, at the same time, improving the sustainability of our operations. It’s all part of the marginal gains we make across every aspect of our operations as we move towards the front of the grid.”
