WSR are pleased to announce a new technical partnership with 3D printing specialists Midlands 3D, ahead of the 2022 British Touring Car Championship.
The Staffordshire-based organisation offer a range of 3D printing technologies including industry-leading HP Multi-Jet Fusion (MJF) technology to produce strong, durable components from their in-house manufacturing facility.
In line with the BTCC’s incorporation of electric-hybrid powertrain technology in 2022, Midlands 3D’s use of sustainable materials – such as recycled filaments and HP’s High Reusability PA12 nylon – in their production processes helps WSR to move towards a less environmentally-impactful way of working.
With reduced lead times and increased design flexibility on components compared to more traditional manufacturing processes, and a reduced reliance on an increasingly fragile supply-chain 3D printing is increasingly popular for motorsport and the wider automotive industry.
The two WSR-run Team BMW 330e M Sports of Colin Turkington and Stephen Jelley plus the ROKiT MB Motorsport 3 Series of Jake Hill will use components created by Midlands 3D throughout the 2022 BTCC season.
The company’s branding will also appear on all three race cars.
The BTCC kicks off at Donington Park on April 12-13 and features a 10-round season at the UK’s best racetracks. Every race is shown live and uninterrupted on ITV4 in high definition.
Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, said: “We’re very pleased to announce this technical partnership with Midlands 3D. Using components produced by Multi-Jet Fusion technology is a first for WSR and we’re very interested to see how we can not only reduce lead times, but also – through the use of HP’s High Reusability PA12 – improve the sustainability of what we use to build and prepare our championship-winning BMWs.
Paul Moloney, Managing Director, Midlands 3D, said: “We’re extremely pleased to enter a technical partnership with WSR; one of the most successful teams in the 60-plus year history of the British Touring Car Championship. We see the BTCC as an ideal platform to showcase our 3D Printing technology and processes show how our sustainable approach can be of benefit to the motorsport industry. We believe WSR are perfect partners to help us achieve this.”