Renishaw supports INEOS Britannia with engineering expertise during America’s Cup bid

September 2024

Global engineering technologies company, Renishaw, has supported INEOS Britannia with metal additive manufacturing (AM) and position measurement expertise to assist its bid to win the 37th America's Cup. Currently taking place in Barcelona, Spain, the event will see INEOS Britannia's sailing team race its technologically advanced AC75 boat to attempt to become the first British crew to win the competition in its 172 year history.

The competition is underway, with a series of races to decide who will compete against defending champions New Zealand for the trophy in October. In the Challenger Selection Series, the British team is taking on Italy, Switzerland, the United States and France. Known as the Louis Vuitton Cup, there are three preliminary competitions, with the winner taking on Team New Zealand in the America's Cup from October 12th to 17th, 2024.

Throughout the event, Renishaw's Spanish subsidiary is offering on-the-ground technical support from its Additive Manufacturing Solutions Centre and headquarters in Barcelona. This means Renishaw can provide a rapid response should the team need additional support with additive manufacturing components during the competition.

As an official technical supplier, Renishaw has supplied products and expertise in position measurement, manufacturing process control and Raman spectroscopy, plus additive manufacturing support. This collaboration has helped to optimise the design and manufacture of bespoke lightweight structural components for the boat. For example, Renishaw has produced several bespoke parts using its RenAM 500Q quad laser metal additive manufacturing system, including the bowsprit end detail, flap fairings and outhaul sheave box.

"Renishaw is a really key technical partner for us and they've been with us from the very beginning. They're reliable and flexible and we know that we can count on them to deliver," said Ben Ainslie, CEO and Skipper at INEOS Britannia. "Thousands of hours of work have gone into this boat and we're incredibly grateful to Renishaw for their support and the invaluable technology they provide."

"The America's Cup is the world's oldest international sports trophy - and Britain has never won," said Finlay Evans, Principal Design Engineer for Renishaw's position encoder products. "As a British engineering business, we're proud to be supporting from both the UK and Spain. The final boat is an embodiment of British manufacturing excellence, and we wish the team the best of luck in its races."

The America's Cup is the world's oldest international sporting trophy. It started in 1851, when the United States' schooner 'America' beat a fleet of British yachts in a race around the Isle of Wight, England. Since then, teams from around the world have competed for the prestigious title. This year's event is the third consecutive Cup with Sir Ben Ainslie as skipper, and the first British team to have three consecutive challenges since Sir Thomas Lipton and his team over one hundred years ago. Renishaw has supported all three challenges.

To find out more about Renishaw's extensive range of technologies visit www.renishaw.com/products; for more information about INEOS Britannia and the 37th America's Cup challenge visit www.ineosbritannia.com