Smiths HP and Burloak Technologies announced in late January that they have signed an exclusive agreement to supply 3D-printed parts in metals and polymers to the worldwide Formula 1 racing market.
Birmingham, U.K.-based SHP is an international stockholder and supplier of advanced engineering materials for motorsport, while Burlington, Ontario-based Burloak provides engineering and designs for 3D printing, materials development, high-precision CNC machining, post-processing, and metrology.
The two companies’ co-announcement noted the advances in additive manufacturing capabilities and the growing competitiveness of Formula 1 racing as “an ideal point to bring this collaboration together to better serve the clients of SmithsHP.”
Under the agreement, the companies will work together to apply design for additive manufacturing principles to the complex challenges of making lighter, stronger and optimally designed parts that improve overall performance. This will allow for design flexibility and modifications that were not available through traditional manufacturing processes.
“We are excited to partner with Burloak Technologies, a world leader in additive manufacturing,” said SmithsHP general manager Robert Kitchen. “They will enable us to provide unique value to our customers through additive manufacturing. We look forward to working with Burloak to develop parts and applications that will be at the forefront of Formula 1 racing for many years to come.”
“We are pleased to have signed this agreement with SmithsHP, we believe this is the best channel to leverage and extend our leading capabilities in additive manufacturing into the world of Formula 1 racing,” said Peter Adams, president and co-founder of Burloak Technologies. “With SmithsHP’s reputation and position in the market we are looking forward to the opportunity to apply additive manufacturing in innovative ways to solve real-time needs.”
Burloak is a supplier to aerospace, space, and energy companies and is a division of Samuel, Son & Co., a network of metal manufacturing, processing, and distribution divisions.