Formula 1-inspired 3D printing for road and rail

Hop aboard the rapid.tech 3D Mobility trade forum on 14 May 2025 to explore the latest AM developments and applications for clean road and rail transport. Inspiration comes not least from Formula 1 racing.

Time as a currency both on and off the track

Pat Warner from the BWT Alpine Formula One Team will provide an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Formula 1 racing in his keynote speech to the trade forum. The team’s Advanced Digital Manufacturing Manager will demonstrate how the use of additive manufacturing (AM) is driving speed and innovation both on and off the track. Over 25 years, the team has continuously expanded its use of additive technologies. Today, AM is present in almost every aspect of their vehicles, with current race models featuring over 200 printed components.

Victor Sousa, Head of AM Plastics & CNC for AM at Sauber Motorsport, will also be speaking about time as a currency in Formula 1. He provides a comprehensive overview of their production setup and discusses two use cases. His presentation explains how stereolithography ensures shorter production lead times ‒ which has a direct impact on aerodynamic development – and illustrates how direct metal laser sintering supports chassis development and frees up valuable time.

Driving everyday production

“We are delighted to welcome AM experts from two Formula 1 teams as speakers. Both teams have discovered additive manufacturing for themselves over the decades and have benefited from its use in their own applications. Visitors to the specialist conference can learn a lot from this for everyday industrial use. Both on the race track and in production, it’s about achieving speed, saving time and translating innovations into performance. The other presentations in the trade forum will demonstrate how this happens in everyday production,” says Frank Cremer, Direct Sales Manager DACH 3D Printers at 3D Systems and member of the rapid.tech 3D advisory board. Together with Dr Maximilian Binder, Innovation Management Transfer and Network at BMW and a fellow member of the advisory board, he is responsible for creating the Mobility Forum programme.

Additive manufacturing for hydrogen engines

Jochen Wagner, Head of Sales and Business Development at M&H CNC Technik, will demonstrate that hydrogen and additive manufacturing are not mutually exclusive in modern engine technology. Mann & Hummel leverages the advantages of AM, such as greater design freedom, to make the necessary changes to engine components. This then ensures that they can be safely operated with hydrogen. One example of this is intake manifolds, which are traditionally made of plastic but need to be made of aluminium for use with hydrogen. To do this, M&H uses metal 3D printing processes such as selective laser melting (SLM) and laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The additively manufactured parts are used in two engines: a high-performance hydrogen racing engine and a 1.4-litre car engine. 

Overcoming hurdles in the approval process for 3D-printed components in the railway industry

New technology meets traditional approval: this will be the topic of focus in Dr Maximilian Kunkel’s presentation. The R&D project manager and leading expert in AM technologies at Siemens Mobility describes the experiences, implications and next steps involved in obtaining approval for 3D-printed metal parts in a highly regulated area of passenger transport: the railway sector.

A compass for navigating the complex AM automotive value chain

Managing Partner of AMPOWER Matthias Schmidt-Lehr will provide the audience with a compass to guide them through the automotive industry’s complex AM value chain to their desired goal. The presentation provides a comprehensive overview of the market based on the AMPOWER report and several technology studies. It highlights market trends and growth rates for AM among car manufacturers and suppliers, and looks at areas of application from prototyping to series production. It also covers cost and scalability challenges compared with conventional processes.

Hybrid additive manufacturing of tool components for the efficient production of car body parts

Innovative manufacturing processes are a key factor in shortening development times and ensuring competitiveness in the automotive industry. AM unlocks huge potential in toolmaking, for example. Eike Tim Koopmann, PhD student in Technology Development Toolmaking at Mercedes-Benz, reports on how the hybrid additive manufacture of tool components can create greater flexibility and efficiency in the series production of body parts.

Creating the right mindset for AM

To use AM successfully, you need the right mindset as well as the right technical requirements ‒ the iwis Group has no doubt about this. Pascal Kranich, Team Leader Design at iwis e-tech, talks about what the company has been doing internally to raise awareness about the growing interest in this topic and the need to step off the beaten track. Starting with a core team, all employees are encouraged to learn about additive manufacturing by taking part in training courses, events and an application competition, and to think about these manufacturing processes in their everyday work in the future.

Specialist conference offers a look at other current AM developments and applications

Alongside the Mobility trade forum, other forums at the rapid.tech 3D specialist conference will provide insights into the latest developments and applications in additive manufacturing. On the first day, the VDMA AM4industry Forum, the Aerospace Forum and the quality-approved Science Forum invite visitors to delve into these topics. Day two of the programme includes the Chemistry & Process Engineering and Electronics & Components forums in addition to the Mobility Forum. The final day sees the forums Innovations in AM, Energy Technology & Hydrogen as well as Software, AI & Design welcome participants.

Presentations and a chance to chat to exhibitors, Deep Dive tours and Expert Tables

Visitors can also look forward to product and service demonstrations as well as small group discussions in Hall 2 – at the exhibitors’ stands or on guided Technical Deep Dive tours, at the Expert Tables, and at the AM Science Poster Slam in the hall.

The 3D Pioneers Challenge too is a source of inspiration, introducing completely new applications of additive and digital technologies. This year the international competition is back at rapid.tech 3D for the tenth time. The anniversary edition gives all previous finalists and winners the chance to go before the jury panel once again and scoop the title of “Pioneer of the Decade”.