Industrial Tube partners with Waikato University to empower future engineers

This year Hamilton-based steel tube manufacturing company Industrial Tube is proudly celebrating a decade-long commitment to sponsoring the University of Waikato’s Formula SAE team (WESMO).

WESMO was formed in 2006 and comprises of mainly Waikato University engineering students who work together to design and build a Formula SAE car. The cars are almost exclusively built at the university’s workshop by the team and students learn and develop a vast range of practical skills.

In the past, the collaboration between Industrial Tube and WESMO has mainly focused on supplying vital steel tube materials necessary for building project car frames.

This year, Industrial Tube worked closely with the students converting their 74 CAD drawings to finished parts using Industrial Tube’s state-of-the-art laser cutting technology.

Industrial Tube general manager Ian Foster says the labelling of the parts by laser etching allowed the students to swiftly assemble and weld the pieces together, to complete the car’s chassis.

“Our advanced laser cutting services, which is part of our ProTube offering, exposes these students to cutting-edge technology,” says Foster.

“Seeing the WESMO Formula SAE team bring their designs to life is fantastic. We look forward to this event every year.”