Global engineering technologies company, Renishaw, has renewed its partnership with British sailing team INEOS Britannia (formerly INEOS TEAM UK) as they work towards the 37th Americas Cup. As an official technical supplier, Renishaw will provide additive manufacturing (AM) and position measurement expertise for INEOS Britannia as it attempts to become the first British team to win America’s Cup in its 172-year history. The competition runs from August through October 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.
To continue its support for INEOS Britannia, Renishaw will supply products and expertise in position measurement, manufacturing process control and Raman spectroscopy, plus additive manufacturing support to optimise the design and manufacture of bespoke lightweight structural components for the boat. During its time in Spain, the INEOS Britannia team will also benefit from the support of Renishaw’s Spanish subsidiary, which has an Additive Manufacturing Solutions Centre at its headquarters in Barcelona.
The America’s Cup, the world’s oldest international sporting trophy, predates the modern Olympic Games by 45 years. Sailing clubs from across the world have fought for America’s Cup since 1851, when the United States schooner ‘America’ beat a fleet of British yachts in a race around the Isle of Wight, England.
This is the third consecutive challenge for the racing team led by Sir Ben Ainslie, the first British team to have three consecutive challenges since Sir Thomas Lipton and his team over one hundred years ago. All three of these challenges have involved Renishaw as a partner. The Challenger Selection Series will take place in September 2024, where challenging teams, including INEOS Britannia, compete to determine who will face the defending Emirates Team New Zealand in the final match starting on October 12th.
Teams will compete in the Cup using AC75s, modern sailing vessels that can go four times faster than the wind. The 75-foot foiling monohull ‘Britannia’, which is outfitted with some of the best British technology, will be able to travel at speeds of up to 50 knots, or more than 60 miles per hour. All competing teams will also modify the boats in compliance with the common sustainability objectives outlined in America’s Cup rules in order to demonstrate sustainable innovation. For instance, INEOS Britannia promised to use recovered carbon from the West Midlands-based recovery factory, ELG Carbon Fibre, to lessen the requirement for new carbon fibre.
According to Finlay Evans, Technical Leader at Renishaw, “Renishaw has been proud to contribute its expertise to the INEOS Britannia for many years.” “We’re incredibly delighted to keep working with the team and support them in the UK and Spain as they compete for the America’s Cup in 2024. Once the race has begun, if the team needs additional assistance with additive manufacturing components, we can respond quickly from our AM Solutions Centre in Barcelona.
“Renishaw has been a valuable support, providing world-class engineering and design expertise as we’ve competed to bring the Cup home,” explained Michel Marie, Manufacturing Manager at INEOS Britannia. In order to set an example for the sporting community, we also put a lot of effort into sustainability before to this competition and committed to using recycled materials. Knowing that Renishaw has also committed to extensive Net Zero goals and is taking steps to reduce emissions gives us the confidence that we can continue to improve sustainability in our efforts to win the Cup.”
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