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FIT AG and Caterpillar Inc. to Develop Technologies for Additive Manufacturing

FIT and Caterpillar - additive manufactured part
An aluminum gear housing 3D printed as a single piece by FIT AG.

FIT AG, specializing the development of additive manufacturing, and Caterpillar Inc. entered into a strategic alliance, under which the companies will focus on design and printing for additive manufacturing of aluminum and titanium parts.

The alliance will bring together leaders in their fields to take advantage of the benefits of additive manufacturing specifically in the heavy equipment manufacturing space. Caterpillar will bring product-specific knowledge and FIT AG will bring the knowledge for additive design. This relationship will complement the ongoing work in Caterpillar’s Additive Manufacturing Factory, as well as strengthening FIT AG’s commitment to the industrial equipment market.

“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,” said Stacey DelVecchio, Caterpillar Additive Manufacturing project manager. “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 3-D printing.”

Carl Fruth, CEO of FIT AG, added, “We are thrilled to enter into a strategic alliance with Caterpillar,” said 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.”

For more than 90 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent, by developing infrastructure, energy, and natural resource assets. The company principally operates through its three product segments – Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation.

Caterpillar’s partner, FIT AG, was founded in 1995 and is now a leading German provider of rapid prototyping services and additive design and manufacturing via its subsidiaries FIT Prototyping GmbH and FIT Production GmbH. The company’s headquarters are in Lupburg, Germany, with subsidiaries in Hamburg, Germany, and Boston, MA.

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

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