Case Study: NASCAR cuts prototype costs by 50% with Stratasys Neo800 SLA 3D printing

NASCAR cuts prototype costs by 50% with Stratasys

NASCAR, the premier motorsports sanctioning body in the United States, sought to optimize aerodynamic performance by developing new engine panel strakes for its race cars. The challenge was that traditional prototyping methods like CNC machining and metal stamping were too time-consuming and costly for the necessary rapid design iteration. To address this, NASCAR turned to vendor Stratasys and its Neo800 SLA 3D printer.

Stratasys provided a solution by 3D printing the strakes using Somos EvoLVe 128 material, which offered the required durability and smooth surface finish for wind tunnel testing. This approach allowed for faster concept iteration and low-clearance testing that was not possible with metal. The results were significant: Stratasys helped NASCAR cut prototype costs by 50% and reduce development time by an average of one week, leading to an optimized aerodynamic design that improved on-track race performance.

NASCAR