It’s an impressive list of resources. Three Matsuura MX-330 PC10 five-axis machining centers with pallet pools. A pair of Mazak INTEGREX I300S seven-axis multitasking lathes. An HCN-5000 horizontal machining center, also from Mazak. These are just a few of the advanced CNC machine tools sitting on the production floor at Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM) that would make most job shops envious.
Ask the owner, NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski, about it and you’ll receive a terse answer. “We’re not a machine shop.”
KAM’s assortment of nearly two dozen laser-powder-bed-fusion (LPBF) 3D printers from providers such as EOS, SLM Systems, and GE Additive, many with multiple lasers and generous build volumes, yields a similar response. “I wouldn’t stick us in the additive box either.”
A metallurgical and mechanical testing lab with extensive metrology capabilities? Nope. An engineering firm? Not that either. What this 75-time NASCAR winner (and counting) does concede to is being part of a vertically integrated, digital manufacturing team that builds game-changing parts using 3D-printing technology.
“Obviously, we print parts here,” said Keselowski, owner and founder of the Statesville, N.C.-based manufacturing firm. “We also machine them, and because most of what we produce here is mission-critical, we’ve invested in CT-scanning and other types of testing and inspection equipment to ensure that parts meet our customer requirements.
He continued, “(Because) the machining of 3D-printed metal parts is much different than traditional machining, we employ a team of experienced engineers who prepare print jobs, develop our CNC programs and fixturing, and basically drive the entire production process from concept to finished component. Simply put, we’re vertically integrated, and operate as four companies in one.”
Why would someone accustomed to speeding around a racetrack at 200 mph—and doing so quite successfully for nearly two decades—want to open a high-end manufacturing company? It might have something to do with the fact that race teams share in KAM’s drive for vertical integration, able to machine, weld, form, assemble, and test what’s needed to produce a winning product.
Furthermore, Keselowski has observed and participated in these processes since his youth, so it’s only natural that he would wish to continue a family tradition, one that now includes a non-traditional form of manufacturing: 3D printing.
It’s no secret that modern racecars rely on additively manufactured parts. Team Penske (with whom Keselowski once raced), well-known for its use of Stratasys FDM printers, was where Keselowski first learned of the technology. So do McLaren, Stewart-Haas, Spire Motorsports, and other top contenders. And while Keselowski admits to having “several 3D-printed parts” in the No. 6 Ford Mustang he now drives for RFK Racing—a team he co-owns—he’s unwilling to share details on their construction.
What he will share is that A) automotive is but a small piece of his customer base, B) for now, at least, KAM only prints metal parts, and C) most of what his team produces is bound for aerospace and defense applications.
“Of course, I’m fascinated by additive manufacturing and recognize its potential in the racing world, but what I’m most interested in from a KAM perspective is our role in developing future solutions that will make the world a better place,” he enthused. “For example, some of our parts are found in reusable rockets, which serve to launch critical telecommunications equipment that helps bring people around the planet closer together. We’re leveraging and promoting technology I’m honored to be associated with, and that will serve future generations for decades to come.”
When asked to explain how “machining 3D-printed metal parts is much different than traditional machining,” Keselowski ticked off several differentiators. First on the list is that virtually no CAD files come to KAM in print-ready condition. Engineers must design build supports and add material in strategic locations for fixturing reasons. Printed parts are typically at or near net shape, leaving little room for positioning error.
The parts also are quite expensive, even without machining and other post-print finishing processes. This means programmers and operators must take special care to avoid scrapping a part that might have taken days to build and be worth tens of thousands of dollars before the first cut.
KAM engineers might also need to work with a customer to make parts more printable, a task with which many in the AM community are familiar. And given that most components are flight critical, the materials used to make them are quite challenging. Inconel 939, Haynes 282, Ti64ELI—Keselowski’s staff routinely prints and machines these and similarly troublesome heat-resistant superalloys (HRSA).
Yet, complexity trumps all of these speed bumps. Keselowski noted that AM opens unprecedented doors to greater gas turbine and rocket engine performance. Because of this, additive parts not only boast extremely convoluted geometries but often contain critical flow paths and internal passageways, making them sensitive to FOD (foreign object debris) contamination that requires complicated mitigation strategies to avoid.
As with chasing the pole position on the Talladega Superspeedway, Keselowski aims to lead the additive pack. “Many people think that 3D printing is going to replace other types of manufacturing such as machining and casting,” he said. “We don’t see it that way. We’re making components with unique materials and unique geometries, while achieving higher levels of quality than is otherwise possible.
“Some of that is due to part consolidation,” he continued. “We’re able to eliminate a lot of brazed joints, for instance, increasing part strength while reducing assembly costs. Machining these parts, however, is not easy.”
Another job falling into the not-too-easy bucket is gaining customer confidence. As with the ability to design print-ready parts that fully leverage AM’s immense capabilities, buyers and engineers are often playing technical catch-up and have reservations about its use. “They know that what they have right now works to some degree and they’re afraid to change,” Keselowski said. “Even if we offer them a solution that’s proven to be either more cost-effective or of higher quality, there’s still that apprehension. That’s probably our biggest external challenge.”
Alleviating these fears will take time. Keselowski repeated a well-known adage, “Science progresses one funeral at a time,” noting that—though morbid—it applies just as well to AM as it does other technological advancements.
He explained that “nobody wants to be the person who replaces an existing part that works and was made using conventional techniques with a 3D-printed part that fails,” which is why KAM has established significantly higher criteria and proof testing than that applied to existing manufacturing solutions. It has also invested significant time, effort, and capital into meeting its self-imposed criteria.
Ironically, many of the more accepting customers are those in the racing industry, followed closely by aerospace and defense. Among these aficionados, it seems to be the Millennials and Gen-Z working in these sectors who are the most knowledgeable and AM-friendly.
“It’s a mixed bag, but generally speaking, we see that additive is more accepted in small- to medium-sized companies, especially when younger engineers are part of the corporate culture,” he said. “I’m not suggesting they take chances, but rather that many in the newer generation grew up with 3D printing and have a more open mind. They’re not afraid to fail forward. Regardless of a customer’s age or experience level, however, our value proposition is focused on de-risking the purchasing process; from start to finish, everything needed to deliver a good part is performed under one roof and by the same group of people. That’s what I would want if I were buying these parts for myself, and that’s what KAM delivers.”
Still active in NASCAR, Keselowski continues to chase the checkered flag. He admitted that the 2022 season was “not so great,” but said he’s made several adjustments to his team recently and is “reloading for 2023 in a very positive way,” looking forward to hitting the track in February. In the meantime, there’s another type of victory to pursue—that of Keselowski’s nonprofit organization.
The Checkered Flag Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that he founded in 2010. Its mission is to give back to service members, retired military, and first responders who’ve fallen on hard times. The nonprofit has raised more than $5 million since its inception and is engaged with numerous campaigns, among them the construction of the Fisher House, sponsoring retreat camps, and providing training for service dogs that help veterans cope with PTSD.
Said Keselowski, “We’re super pleased with all that the Checkered Flag Foundation has done and look forward to the continued support of those who’ve given so much to our country.”
As for his ITAR-registered and AS9100-certified manufacturing company, it’s edging ever closer to pole position. “We’re actively pursuing commercial space launch and defense applications in general but are open to making other types of mission-critical parts, including those used in the power generation and maritime industries.”
Despite intense secrecy, Keselowski’s competitive nature races to the forefront. “We’re working with some really great companies right now, even though I’m not allowed to disclose their names,” he laughed. “Still, if you see something launching into space, there’s a good chance that KAM was a part of it and we’re very proud of that. We’re also very proud of our ability to make things that are not only difficult to make, but have never been made before and are probably, in some way, shape, or form, changing the world for the better. To me, that’s what’s most important.”
