FIT AG and Caterpillar Inc join forces to 3D print aluminium and titanium parts

The strategic alliance between FIT AG and Caterpillar will have an initial three-year term, with a view to an extension.

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FIT AG, an additive manufacturing solutions provider, has today announced a strategic partnership with Caterpillar Inc. to design and 3D print aluminium and titanium parts.

Combining Caterpillar’s expertise in machinery manufacturing and engineering, with FIT AG’s knowledge of additive manufacturing, the partners will look to take advantage of the benefits of AM specifically in the heavy manufacturing space.

With FIT AG’s additive design expertise, and Caterpillar’s strong product-specific knowledge, both companies will benefit from the other’s support. The alliance will complement the ongoing work in Caterpillar’s Additive Manufacturing Factory, while FIT AG’s commitment to the industrial equipment market will also receive a boost.

“We are thrilled to enter into a strategic alliance with Caterpillar,” said Carl Fruth, CEO of FIT AG. “Caterpillar is a world leader in many markets, which will benefit greatly from additive manufacturing. However, this requires innovative technologies and new thinking combined with experience and deep know-how. Our companies complement each other with their respective strengths.”

Stacey DelVecchio, Caterpillar Additive Manufacturing Project Manager added: “Caterpillar has a long history of creating innovative products designed to fit the needs of our customers and entering into a strategic alliance with a leader in additive manufacturing will help further that tradition. Not only will Caterpillar now have access to FIT AG’s cutting-edge technologies in additive manufacturing but this alliance will also help accelerate our adoption of 3D printing.”

For more than 90 years, Caterpillar has been committed to driving positive change and serving its customers on a global scale. The company principally operates through its three product segments – Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation – and also provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment.

Caterpillar’s new partner, FIT AG is a leading German provider of rapid prototyping services and additive design and manufacturing via its subsidiaries FIT Production GmbH and FIT Production GmbH. Founded in 1995, FIT now employs 250 people, most of them at the company’s headquarters in Lupburg, Germany. The FIT Group operates further subsidiaries in Hamburg, Germany, and Boston, USA, for example.

The strategic alliance between FIT AG and Caterpillar will have an initial three-year term. It will evolve to the next step based on the measure of success.

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