What NASCAR Racing and Additive Manufacturing (AM) Have in Common

Fortune favors the bold when it comes to additive manufacturing (AM). Many companies begin with a simple application of AM, which is fine, but to continuously unlock long-term success for AM, the real opportunities for innovation, performance, design improvements, and market differentiation you will need to be bold. NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski is a bold individual on the race track and within the company he founded, Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing. His organization is on a mission to lead the fourth industrial revolution. His team's state-of-the-art AM capabilities are a big part of that effort. 

In this episode, Host Fabian Alefeld speaks with Brad about how he was introduced to 3D printing, why NASCAR and AM have more in common than many think, how Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing has been able to grow so quickly, and Brad's advice for organizations who are at the beginning of their AM journey.

Comments about the show or wish to share your AM journey? Contact us at [email protected]. The Additive Snack Podcast is brought to you by EOS.

Key Takeaways:

[2:25] Plastic 3D printing wasn’t an option for the high-intensity needs of a race car, but in 2017 metal 3D printing helped facilitate Brad’s desire to win. 

[6:31] Common threads between additive manufacturing and motorsports.

[10:37] How Brad manages growth and challenges at Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM). 

[13:28] Process control and vertical integration are key components of KAM’s success, and when they do fail, they fail forward.

[18:08] How to overcome the biggest challenges in AM and the importance of finding the best use case. 

Shareables:

“I start everything I do with — what is it going to take to win? — and in a lot of ways technology is what we need to win.” — Brad Keselowski, NASCAR Champion, and Owner/Founder of Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing

“The factory we use in [AM] is a lot like a race car factory. A racecar factory is hyper-organized, very-process based, speed to market is very important, it is very clean, and all of those things are important in an AM landscape..”—Brad Keselowski, NASCAR Champion, and Owner/Founder of Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing

“Our biggest challenge at KAM, and I think this is very much the case in a lot of the AM industry, is the experience of program managers, buyers, engineers in the industry to date.”— Brad Keselowski, NASCAR Champion, and Owner/Founder of Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing

“If you just want to start with AM on a simple project, that’s okay, but it is probably not going to give you long-term success. Make sure you find the right use case.” — Brad Keselowski, NASCAR Champion, and Owner/Founder of Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing