en.Wedoany.com Reported - Ford Motor Company's Advanced Industrial Technology and Platforms (ATP) team in the U.S. has partnered with Sharrow Engineering to adopt a 3D printed sand casting process, reducing propeller production time from months to weeks.
The introduction between Ford and Sharrow was facilitated by Michigan Central, the mobility innovation hub in Detroit. Sharrow is the manufacturer of the patented Sharrow Propeller. Over a nine-month period, the two companies collaborated to adapt Sharrow's propeller design to the 3D printed sand casting process, refining and validating this method to support high-volume production. Ford coordinated with regional foundries to develop and improve the tooling manufacturing process, combining its advanced manufacturing expertise with the foundries' metallurgy and pouring experience.
The Sharrow Propeller was first launched in 2020, and since then, demand from recreational boaters, commercial operators, and government agencies has continued to grow. Greg Sharrow, Founder and CEO of Sharrow Engineering and Sharrow Marine, stated that the market response has been extraordinary since the launch, but scaling production has been the biggest challenge, particularly how to quickly obtain high-quality castings to meet demand. He noted that coming to Detroit was about accessing manufacturing capabilities and an ecosystem unavailable elsewhere, including the network at Michigan Central. The collaboration with Ford has resolved this issue; products that once took an entire boating season to produce can now be completed in just a few weeks, representing a transformative change.
Ford's involvement is based on over two decades of experience in 3D sand casting. Dan Michalski, Head of Additive Manufacturing Operations at Ford, said that Ford has been a leader in 3D sand casting for more than 20 years, and it is gratifying to use this expertise to help another Michigan company scale rapidly. This is not just about propellers; it is about enabling customers like Sharrow to access industrial innovation so they can compete on a global stage. Carolina Pluszczynski, Acting CEO of Michigan Central, stated that the hub was established precisely to help companies turn breakthrough ideas into real-world scale, and Sharrow is exactly the kind of innovative enterprise with proven technology and growing demand.
While ramping up production capacity, Sharrow is undertaking its fourth facility expansion in five years. The company is currently located in a 60,000-square-foot site in Harper Woods, Michigan, and states that its core propeller technology, beyond marine propulsion, can also be applied to drones, advanced air mobility, industrial fans, pumps, and renewable energy systems.
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