3D PRINTING
WINNING THE RACE
for parts production
The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team finished the 2018 FIA Formula One Constructors’ Championship
in 8th place with a total of 48 points. A ‘work in progress’ certainly, but the
latest design technology is behind the push for greater success
Sauber Motorsport AG, the company
operating the Alfa Romeo Sauber
F1 Team, is a firm believer in 3D
printing/Additive Manufacturing
– technology that is now gaining a strong
foothold in engineering design and beyond.
By way of advancing that commitment,
Sauber has recently added five new ProX
800 SLA 3D printers to its headquarters
and engineering facilities in Hinwil,
Switzerland, within the scope of a new
partnership agreement that has been
struck between 3D Systems and the Alfa
Romeo Sauber F1 Team.
Sauber Motorsport AG first started
using 3D Systems’ solutions more than
10 years ago when it built its Additive
Manufacturing department. The new SLA
(stereolithography) systems join existing
3D Systems products used by the F1
team, including six SLS 3D printers.
“When we decided to upgrade our SLA
production capability, we felt it was time to
take our cooperation with 3D Systems to
a deeper level. We also needed to expand
our capacity, so replacing some of the
older 3D Systems SLAs with the higher
throughput ProX 800 was the natural
choice,” says Christoph Hansen, head of
additive manufacturing, at Sauber. “We
are using 3D Systems’ SLA solutions
predominantly and extensively for wind
tunnel testing, but also for tooling for
carbon laminating, as well as vacuum
casting for silicon parts.”
WIND TUNNEL TESTING
Wind tunnel testing is, of course,
essential for the aerodynamic
development of a Formula
1 race car. A 60% scale model
of the car is produced for testing
in Sauber’s own state-of-the-art wind
tunnel located at its Hinwil headquarters.
This model is produced mostly with
additive manufacturing – 3D Systems’
SLS and SLA 3D printers are used for
everything from front wings, brake ducts
and suspension covers to engine covers,
internal ducts and hand deflectors.
“We can’t really compare this process
to conventional manufacturing, because
it would be impossible to do it any other
way than 3D printing; we require many
parts with superior surface quality in a
very short time,” says Reto Trachsel, head
of aero design, at Sauber. “There have
been times when the wind tunnel, which
is also used by our third-party customers,
has been running 24/7 and we have been
The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team’s C37 –
integrated parts created with the help of 3D
Systems SLA and SLS 3D printing solutions
– on the track at the 2018 FIA Formula 1
Chinese Grand Prix.
Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team’s front brake
duct inlet for wind tunnel testing model
(produced on 3D Systems’ SLS 3D printers).
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