Better Business / Member news
INEOS Britannia unveils AC75 race boat with support from Renishaw
INEOS Britannia has publicly revealed its AC75 race boat, Britannia, for the first time in its quest to win the 37th America’s Cup. The unveiling marks the culmination of over two years of development, supported by global engineering technologies company Renishaw, which has provided innovative products and solutions to enhance the boat’s performance.
Renishaw’s contributions to Britannia’s development include expertise in position measurement, manufacturing process control, metal additive manufacturing (AM), and Raman spectroscopy. The company supplied position encoders for digital position feedback and offered AM support to optimise the design and manufacture of lightweight structural components. These components, produced on Renishaw’s RenAM 500Q quad laser systems, include an outhaul sheave box, flap fairings, the bowsprit end detail, and a runner beam end-fitting. These parts were designed to reduce the boat’s weight, improving speed, efficiency, and overall performance.
“Renishaw’s long-standing collaboration with INEOS Britannia makes our team incredibly proud,” said Chay Allen, Customer Applications Manager for Renishaw. “This year is particularly exciting as it has given us the opportunity to contribute to the manufacturing of the boat in the UK and provide support from our subsidiary in Spain. From our AM Solutions Centre in Barcelona, we can provide a rapid response should the team need additional support with additively manufactured components once racing has started.”
Sir Ben Ainslie, INEOS Britannia Team Principal and Skipper, expressed his excitement about the unveiling: “We have been keeping Britannia under wraps for such a long time that it’s almost surreal to see her out of the shed and in public view here in Barcelona. Thousands of hours of work have gone into this boat and so it’s great to finally reveal her to the world. We’re incredibly grateful to Renishaw for their support and the invaluable technology they provide.”
Britannia will make its racing debut at the Preliminary Regatta in Barcelona, Spain, from August 22-25. The competition will continue with The Louis Vuitton Cup – the Challenger Selection Series – from August 29 – October 7, where five teams will compete for the chance to challenge the defenders, Emirates Team New Zealand, in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup match in October.
For more information on Renishaw’s AM and encoder products, visit their website.
Main photo: Renishaw
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