BWT Alpine F1 Team
BWT Alpine F1 Team has purchased four SLA 750 3D printing systems from 3D Systems after testing the product during its beta phase.
3D Systems launched the SLA 750 machine at last year’s AMUG Conference, claiming the platform boasted ‘industry-leading print size, speed, accuracy and resolution.’
BWT Alpine is currently using the SLA 750 systems and 3D Systems’ Accura Composite PIV material to build models for wind tunnel testing. By printing complex aerodynamic parts with pressure tappings, small composite tools and high-temperature bonding jigs, the Team says it has benefitted from ‘significant increases in productivity’ which are enabled by ‘reduced build time’ and ‘reduced time between builds.’ The parts printed on the SLA 750 are also said to deliver ‘unmatched sidewall and surface quality’, as well as ‘excellent feature detail and high geometric accuracy’, meaning less time is required in the post-processing of the components.
Having established a long-running technical partnership with 3D Systems, BWT Alpine has adopted its SLA and SLS technologies to support the additive manufacture of around 25,000 parts a year.
“We are very impressed with the depth of precision engineering that went into the development of 3D Systems’ SLA 750,” commented Ben Mallock, Deputy Head of Aerodynamics, BWT Alpine F1 Team. “BWT Alpine F1 Team has a long-standing technical partnership with 3D Systems, and we were pleased to have early access to this product when it was still in beta. We put the SLA 750 through its paces during testing and achieved the best part quality we have so far seen in the market with considerably improved productivity. As a result, we purchased additional SLA 750 systems to bring our total to four. We are enjoying the positive impact this is having on our wind tunnel testing and getting our innovation to the track faster.”
“As a company, 3D Systems has long prided itself on building solutions centred on addressing our customers’ application challenges,” added John Murray, VP, Global ISG Segment & Business Development, 3D Systems. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see how our latest innovation in SLA technology is combined with a material we co-developed with BWT Alpine F1 Team to accelerate design iteration and innovation for wind tunnel testing. This is a testament to how we’re advancing the science of additive manufacturing to help our customers defy limitations and maintain competitive advantage.”
