Latest news with #Aerocell
Miami Herald
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
McLaren Pioneers 3D-Printed Suspension for Ultimate Durability & Aero
McLaren has partnered with California-based industrial digital manufacturing company Divergent Technologies to develop a series of 3D-printed suspension components for its upcoming W1 supercar. The new McLaren W1 features a Formula 1-inspired front suspension mounted directly into the vehicle's Aerocell monocoque and a central chassis made from carbon fiber. Divergent's 3D printing technology has helped McLaren develop efficient and intricate suspension systems, optimizing durability and stiffness. These suspension systems include the front upper wishbone, aeroform lower wishbone, and front upright, with externally visible front wishbones playing a key role in managing airflow and enhancing suspension strength. "The Divergent Adaptive Production System, or DAPS as we call it, is a fully digital design agnostic production system that allows the user to optimize any design for any vehicle without any changeover in tooling or design-specific fixturing," said Cooper Keller, Divergent's Chief Programs and Operational Officer. Will Tabbah, Principal Chassis Engineer at McLaren, described the W1 as "all about aerodynamics" when discussing the car's Formula 1-derived approach. McLaren needed Divergent to integrate its Formula 1-inspired suspension system into its carbon fiber monocoque cell. Divergent's laser powder bed fusion 3D printing process begins with powdered metals, high-powered lasers, and precision optics, which weld the powder layer by layer into complex structures. Automakers have traditionally used 3D printing for prototypes or aesthetic components, but Divergent uses 3D printing with artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and robotics for production-ready structures. Keller noted that Divergent's lower wishbone for the W1 was the first time it integrated an aero profile into the structure, while emphasizing lightness. Removing a single gram was likely to compromise the entire part's performance or integrity. Divergent formed these components with its computer algorithm after receiving McLaren's requirements, which included a design space, keep-out zones, the part's stiffness, and load cases it had to sustain. McLaren underwent multiple iterations of component development, which was easily adapted to by Divergent, thanks to its software handling the heavy lifting. Keller said he wants Divergent's partnership with McLaren to extend beyond suspension components, covering cars from bumper to bumper and corner to corner. The McLaren W1 was introduced to commemorate the automaker's 50th anniversary of its first Formula 1 championship win. It features a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine paired with a hybrid system, producing 1,257 horsepower and boasting a top speed of 217 mph. McLaren will debut the $2.1 million W1 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which is occurring this weekend. The automaker is limiting its W1 production to 399 models, with each unit already sold. With help from Divergent, the McLaren W1's front upper wishbone, aeroform lower wishbone, and front upright strike an ideal balance between weight, strength, durability, and aerodynamics. The adaptability of Divergent's software helped facilitate McLaren's ability to create a car that's Formula 1 for the road while pushing the industry toward newer manufacturing techniques. More automakers may soon follow McLaren and Divergent's lead in streamlining production with 3D-printed parts, which offer greater flexibility through rapid testing and refinement. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Drive
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
Here's Why You Can't Move the Driver's Seat in a McLaren W1
The latest car news, reviews, and features. McLaren isn't the only hypercar maker to incorporate fixed seats in its latest masterpiece; rivals like the LaFerrari and Aston Martin Valkyrie have 'em, too. In the case of the McLaren W1, though, the company didn't force fixed seats to show off, or charge customers even more money for bespoke seat padding. The W1's seats don't move because that helps it stay as light and aerodynamic as possible. A new video from McLaren explains the rationale behind the fixed seat, and it all revolves around the hypercar's new Aerocell carbon-fiber chassis. Back when the W1 was still a blank sheet of paper, McLaren's engineering team knew it had to reach deep to achieve its weight and drag-coefficient targets. So when it came time to design the new Aerocell chassis, the crew was willing to make any changes necessary. 'Fundamental to this project was the aero story,' said Andy Sylvester-Thorne, McLaren's head of body structures. 'That meant we needed to shrink the Aerocell down in the key areas. One of the key facilitators of that was having a fixed seat because that allowed us to shorten the monocoque.' McLaren It's a compounding effect, too. With a fixed chair in place, McLaren was not only able to make the front structure more compact but also reduce the height and angle of the A-pillars and roof, improving aerodynamics. More efficient front-end packaging gained by the seats allowed McLaren to push the front axles even further back. They extend outwards through pre-built holes in the carbon fiber front impact pillars, shortening the dash-to-axle ratio and, again, improving aero. It's all explained in the video below, starting at about the 1:10 mark. Long before Sylvester-Thorne worked on the W1, he was also in charge of designing the chassis for the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, a project that was led by the legendary and famously obsessive Gordon Murray. In other words, he understands what it means to agonize over the tiniest details to get things just right, and it seems that's exactly what's been done with the McLaren W1. Now, when are we going to get that W1 versus Ferrari F80 race? Got tips? Send 'em to tips@ Nico DeMattia is a staff writer at The Drive. He started writing about cars on his own blog to express his opinions when no one else would publish them back in 2015, and eventually turned it into a full-time career.
