Stratasys Named 3D Printing Partner of Toyota Racing

Stratasys Ltd. has been named an official partner of Toyota Racing Development (TRD). The partnership will make its debut with 3D printed production parts on the forthcoming Toyota GR86 for the GR Cup, a new single-make racing series sanctioned by SRO America.

“Additive manufacturing has allowed us to quickly iterate, design and create parts for our race vehicles in a way that would have been far more expensive or labor intensive through traditional manufacturing methods,” says David Wilson, president of TRD. “By partnering with Stratasys we are able to advance our manufacturing practices beyond what is currently possible and really harness the possibilities of additive manufacturing for production parts.”

TRD is expanding its use of additive manufacturing from prototyping to end-use parts by integrating Stratasys Fortus 450mc, F370 and the new composite-ready F370 CR 3D printers into their manufacturing facilities in Salisbury, NC, and Costa Mesa, CA. The industrial-grade 3D printers will be used to create end-use parts, including an FDM Nylon 12CF hood vent for their new production vehicle the Toyota GR86, as well as to create a wide range of end-use parts across the TRD product portfolio.

TRD has been a long-standing customer of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing using additive manufacturing technologies for prototyping. TRD will further use Stratasys Direct services to 3D print a clamp for the GR86 using the Stratasys H350 3D printer powered by SAF technology and using sustainable Stratasys High Yield PA11 material.

“This new partnership represents a significant moment in the evolution of additive manufacturing for high performance automotive racing applications,” says Pat Carey, senior vice president, Strategic Growth for Stratasys. “We will partner with TRD to support their efforts as they further adopt, prove out and integrate additive manufacturing into their production as a prototyping, tooling and end-use parts solution across the GR86 and TRD custom parts as well.”

TRD plans to continue to integrate additive manufacturing into their manufacturing processes for TRD-branded vehicles and racing cars. The GR Cup, featuring the GR86, is set to begin in 2023.

Learn more about Stratasys solutions for the automotive industry online.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.

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