Manufacturing services company Jabil has entered into an agreement with Renault F1 Team to accelerate the development and delivery of 3D printed parts for the Renault R.S. 19 race car. The vehicle now competing in the 2019 Formula One World Championship, and, despite a fairly disappointing result in Monaco (9th place), it could get the competitive edge it needs thanks to 3D printed parts.

The agreement will see Renault F1 Team and Jabil work together to exploit the benefits of 3D printing. Specifically, the technology will be used to rapidly and economically produce race car parts that are more lightweight than their traditionally manufactured counterparts. Additive manufacturing, which is increasingly being adopted in the racing industry to optimize cars, offers a solution for reducing the weight of vehicles without sacrificing strength.

“Every single aspect of what we do is geared towards excellence,” said Antoine Magnan, Head of Partnerships at Renault Sport Racing. “We look forward to taking advantage of Jabil’s growing ecosystem of certified materials, processes and machines to boost parts availability and overall productivity.”

John Dulchinos, VP of Digital Manufacturing at Jabil, also expressed enthusiasm about the new collaboration, saying: “We’re excited to be part of Renault F1 Team’s strategy to improve performance with additive manufacturing. Our ability to consolidate a global supply chain and scale qualified processes as needed will enable the production of chassis and on-car components in record time.”

In addition to its partnership with Renault F1 Team, Jabil has been ramping up its additive manufacturing business as of late. For instance, the company recently increased the 3D printing capacity at its facility in Auburn Hills near Detroit to meet growing demands from the healthcare and automotive sectors. Its AS9100 certified facility in Seattle, on the other hand, was built to address the needs of aerospace and defense customers.

Presently, Jabil runs over 200 3D printers at various facilities connected to the Jabil Additive Manufacturing Network. The global network has operations in the U.S., China, Hungary, Mexico, Singapore and Spain.