Archive for January, 2011
Automotive Rapid Prototyping & Automotive Prototype Services
New product development and innovation is much more difficult and time consuming than most other business activities. Automotive rapid prototyping greatly enhances learning speed and reduces the risk of new automotive parts development.
Historically, the automotive industry has been using rapid prototyping as an important tool in the automotive parts design process. The extremely fast-paced automotive design cycles require an extremely fast prototyping system which can produce car parts fast and inexpensively.
The main objective of automotive prototyping is to learn quickly: how a new automotive product behaves in its natural working environment, before transferring the prototype to the production line. Many times, mistakes are learned only after a new automotive part is launched. This is the main explanation for poor automotive parts design, from product mismatch, poor engineering and function or finish, and overpriced production. In order to accelerate the learning curve, before these costly automotive prototyping mistakes are made, one must accelerate and facilitate feedback loops from tests in the lab and market trials.
Automotive Manufacturing Technologies
Working with an assortment of rapid prototyping equipment, automotive prototyping engineers utilize the most advanced 3D printers, in their quest for perfect form, function and utility. Working in advanced manufacturing centers, the automotive engineers use the technology to verify what they are doing, and, equally important, to save tremendous amounts of time, and money.
Automotive Rapid Prototyping Compresses Development Time
The advantages of using 3D rapid prototyping model creation versus viewing a cad/cam model on a computer screen are palpable. Automotive parts engineers get together discuss the pros and cons of a rapidly produced automotive parts model and discuss the pros and cons of the design, as they pass it around, twisting and viewing the prototype, and decide if that is what they had in mind. This way, problems get solved up front, before going to the assembly line! Once determined that the automotive prototype design is a go, the model can then be sent to a die maker.
Automotive Prototyping and the Die Maker Process
The die maker cannot use model to make the die, but because they have it in their hand and can look at it and feel it, they can determine where the parting lines will be and exactly how much steel they will need to produce it. The timing of the die process is greatly compressed.
Examples of Automotive Rapid Prototype Parts
· Car Engine parts
· Engine castings and parts
· Auto Body Components
· Auto Mechanical parts
· Car Dashboards
· Car Handles and Knobs
· Car Trim parts
Fail first Paradox in Automotive Rapid Prototyping
The automotive rapid prototyping paradox is to fail earlier rather than later. By failing earlier, the design engineers surprisingly succeed in accelerating the project; this greatly reduces development cost risk. By considering all automotive prototype failures as learning experiments, the engineer has much less stress, knowing that they are practicing the old adage, that success comes from ninety-nine percent failure and introspection.
South African Motor Racing News
South African motor racing was given a long overdue shot in the arm last month when the world class Kyalami Race track hosted the A1GP for the first time. Long discarded as a preferred international venue for the really big league of motor racing, Formula One, Kyalami proved to both its detractors and supporters that it is indeed ready to host the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and the rest of the F1 racing daredevils.
Kyalami rises to the deafening sound of A1 racing
Right up until 1985, when South Africa’s entrenched apartheid policies raised the ire of the racing fraternity, Kyalami was the venue of the elite South African Grand Prix, but since then the deafening noise on the track has been silenced.
The 4,26km Midrand track did not belie its name (meaning “My Home” in Zulu) when teams from all over the globe took part in the A1GP. Even Brazil’s favourite racing son, Felipe Massa, was on hand at the anti-clockwise track to give his A1 compatriot a couple of tips before the race.
Although South Africa had to acquiesce to the flair and sheer velocity of Team Netherlands on the day, it was a heavenly and historic moment for auto racing in South Africa.
Formula Vee National Champs at the Phakisa Freeway soon
The incumbent king of the national Formula Vee championship, Dennis Johns, is back on home turf in an attempt to defend his title and there is an entire harem of consummate drivers out there to test the young man’s nerves and skill.
Formula Vee is the baby brother of motor sport, with the class based on the precocious and enduring 1963 VW Beetle. Although the likes of Barrichello and Button may well scoff at the lowly and inexpensive formula, it has proved to have tremendous stamina in the popularity stakes of both drivers and its ever-growing fan base.
The national championship takes place at the Phakisa Freeway on March 14, a track that has often been likened to the hugely acclaimed Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada. The Free State track is rated as one of the safest circuits on the GP tour and MotoGP, organisers of the World Grand Prix circuit, believe it is a superb venue and one of the best in the world – yet another accolade for the resurgent South African auto-racing sector.
Apart from the signature race, fans are in for a dynamic mix of single seater, sports, GT and saloon racing including
- Historic saloon cars
- Historic sports and GT cars
- Formula GTi & 250cc Super Karts
- Club championship events for Formula Libre single-seaters & Marque cars.
Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit As A Travel Destination
The Brooklands motor racing circuit and aerodrome was opened in 1907. It made history as it was the first ever purpose built motor race circuit that was banked in the world. In Britain motorists were restricted to a 20mph speed limit and Brooklands was so popular due to the high speeds that could be reached. Sadly the last race was in 1939 and it was the outbreak of the war that put a stop to any further racing. Brooklands was also one of the first airfields in Britain created by Hugh Locke-King and was also opened in 1907. In 1939 the whole site was handed over to the wartime manufacture of military aircraft. The track was badly damaged due to bombings and was also covered by dispersal hangers and as such the racing never returned.
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