FIA approves Constellium’s Aheadd® CP1 aluminium alloy for use in F1 racing cars

Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the regulatory body governing the Formula 1 (F1) and other worldwide motorsports, has authorised Constellium’s Aheadd® CP1 aluminium alloy for use in F1 racing cars starting in the 2024 season. Under a recent collaboration between Velo3D, Inc., a leading metal additive manufacturing technology firm for mission-critical components, and PWR Advanced Cooling Technology, the CP1 aluminium alloy will be used in Sapphire printers.

PWR Advanced Cooling Technology will utilise the alloy to create highly efficient, small, and lightweight heat exchangers for Formula 1 cars and several other high-performance components for its clients. Aheadd® CP1 is being approved for printing in 100-micron layers, in addition to the typical 50-micron layer thickness used by all Velo3D printers, offering clients a balance between end-product performance and system throughput.

“Our team is committed to listening to customers and enhancing our technology to meet their needs, so when PWR came to us with a challenge of qualifying a new alloy with a first-of-its-kind parameter set, we were thrilled to partner with them on the project. Aheadd® CP1 is the first alloy qualified in our Augsburg, Germany European Technology Center. Our American and European teams are both adept at creating scalable solutions for metal AM materials and we encourage companies who need customised material development for their applications to contact us about their specific requirements,” said Dr Zachary Detweiler, Velo3D Vice President of Technology.

PWR has supplied high-performance aluminium radiators, intercoolers, oil coolers, and other completed components to clients in F1, NASCAR, V8 Supercars, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, and different racing categories. The firm also works with energy, military, and aerospace companies. PWR is AS9100D and ISO 14001 certified, ITAR compliant and Nadcap accredited for chemical processing and heat-treating services.

Aheadd® CP1 is an aluminium, zirconium, and iron alloy made specifically for Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing machines. It is thermally stable up to 300°C and is said to have exceptional corrosion resistance. It is also extremely isotropic, and the manufactured pieces have outstanding surface quality and stable microstructures.

“Aheadd® CP1 is a fantastic addition to our additive manufacturing services and Velo3D’s unparalleled print capabilities coupled with PWR’s brazed fin technology creates a unique performance differentiator for our customers. Our goal is to give our racing customers an unfair advantage on the track and we look forward to seeing these teams win using new parts manufactured by PWR,” said Mark Booker, PWR Technical Project Manager.