Sauber F1 Team and Additive Industries announce partnership
June 21, 2017
The MetalFAB1 Process & Application Development Tool
Additive Industries, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and the Sauber F1 Team, Hinwil, Switzerland, have announced that Sauber will be the launch customer for its MetalFAB1 Process & Application Development Tool. This forms part of a three-year technology partnership between the two companies.
Steffen Schrodt, Head of Wind Tunnel Operations at Sauber F1 Team, and Christoph Hansen, who is responsible for Additive Manufacturing, announced the partnership during a keynote speech at the Rapid.Tech conference and exhibition, Erfurt, Germany, earlier this month.
The Sauber F1 Team, which has significant experience in polymer-based Additive Manufacturing, will invest in two industrial MetalFAB1 3D metal printing systems over the course of two years to expand its AM expertise into the metals domain.
The partnership with Sauber F1 Team underlines the ambition of Additive Industries to become a leading AM system manufacturer for demanding markets such as aerospace, automotive, medical implants and high-tech equipment.
“We are honoured to be invited to join the Sauber F1 Team as a Technology Partner. Sauber has been the launch pad for champions for decades, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen, Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel all started their F1 careers at this unique private Swiss team. The professionalism of the Sauber F1 Team as well as their drive for technological innovation, they own one of the most advanced automotive wind tunnels in the world, fits beautifully with our quest for industrial excellence”, said Daan Kersten, CEO of Additive Industries.
A Sauber F1 team race car (Courtesy Sauber F1)
Sauber F1 Team CEO & Team Principal, Monisha Kaltenborn, stated, “We are delighted to welcome Additive Industries on board as our new technological partner at the Sauber F1 Team. Since this innovative fabrication technology is still in the early stages of industrialisation, it is an ideal moment for us to take on this challenge with our new partner. By doing so, we will gain and develop the necessary know-how in this area. It is our mission to set new standards”.
