Don Schumacher Racing Shifts into Overdrive with Additive Manufacturing from Stratasys
New collaboration agreement empowers team with advanced FDM technology to accelerate prototypes and final parts – designed specifically for demands of competitive drag racing
RAPID + TCT 2019 - Continuing to empower the world's most elite competitive motorsport teams with additive manufacturing, Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) today announced a new collaboration agreement with Don Schumacher Racing - the winningest team in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), the largest auto racing organization in the world. The team will capitalize on advanced Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM®) technology to accelerate both prototyping and new component design.
As the winningest team in the National Hot Rod Association, Don Schumacher Racing uses Stratasys 3D printing to accelerate design iterations, workflows and final part production (Photo: Business Wire)
Don Schumacher Racing joins a growing list of Stratasys customers using additive manufacturing to become more competitive in high-performance environments - including auto sports, yacht racing, aerospace and competitive winter games. FDM is ideally suited to meet the demands of complex, high requirement racing - as teams capitalize on 3D printing to accelerate design iterations, workflows and final part production.
Don Schumacher Motorsports, the production arm of Don Schumacher Racing, is currently leveraging both the Stratasys Fortus® 450mc™ 3D Printer and F370™ 3D Printer, and high-performance materials.
"With Stratasys 3D printing in place, anytime a crew chief has an idea for a project or concept part, we can design it, print it out, and test fit and function rapidly at a low cost - whether it's a prototype or final part," said Scott Cutler, Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Don Schumacher Motorsports. "Thanks to 3D printing, we're able to be more innovative - which equals consistent performance on the track."
Key applications for both Stratasys machines within Don Schumacher Motorsports include: chassis or weldment fixturing, prototype development, final design proof-of-concept, and finished ultralight usable components. The team leverages the broad array of materials to quickly produce parts at the highest level of tolerance the environment demands. The printers are already fully integrated into the team's fabrication shop for its Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Factory Stock teams.
"Competitive motorsports demand technology that can not only handle the design complexity of these environments, but also rapidly create prototypes and parts to withstand the high-performance requirements of racing," said Pat Carey, Senior Vice President at Stratasys. "Don Schumacher Racing is a great example of the power of additive manufacturing at work - and we're excited to work alongside the team and tackle the most extreme challenges across their production environment."
Visitors can learn more at RAPID + TCT on the Stratasys Booth (No. 1201). For more information on Stratasys' advanced 3D printing solutions for high-performance environments, please visit our Fortus 380mc and Fortus 450mc pages or Stratasys' F123 3D Printer site.
Don Schumacher Racing boasts more than 325 NHRA national event titles and 17 world championships since 1998. The team fields seven professional teams competing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Three-time world champion Antron Brown, double-duty driver Leah Pritchett, and eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher form the three-car Top Fuel contingent. 2012 world champion Jack Beckman, 2016 world champion Ron Capps, two-time world champion Matt Hagan, and veteran racer Tommy Johnson Jr. lead the four-car Dodge Funny Car program. DSR also campaigns two Factory Stock Showdown entries. The Sportsman duo is piloted by Pritchett, the 2018 Factory Stock Showdown Series champion, and former Pro Stock racer Mark Pawuk.
Stratasys is a global leader in additive manufacturing or 3D printing technology and is the manufacturer of FDM® and PolyJet™ 3D Printers. The company's technologies are used to create prototypes, manufacturing tools, and production parts for industries, including aerospace, automotive, healthcare, consumer products and education. For 30 years, Stratasys products have helped manufacturers reduce product-development time, cost, and time-to-market, as well as reduce or eliminate tooling costs and improve product quality. The Stratasys 3D printing ecosystem of solutions and expertise includes: 3D printers, materials, software, expert services, and on-demand parts production. Online at: www.stratasys.com, http://blog.stratasys.com and LinkedIn.