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| OFFICIAL TEAM SUPPLIER STATUS FOR HONDA F1 |
Traditionally, metrology has been hampered by the equipment’s weight and its lack of speed. This meant that measurement was seen as an isolated activity, an occasional checking mechanism, rather than an integral part of the iterative design process. A mighty slab of granite provided stability, but that stability came at a high price - the equipment could only measure items that could be physically brought to it. The measuring process itself was slow and cumbersome, providing relatively coarse data which could not catch the nuances of important design modifications.
Europac’s solution was to source the three most advanced measuring technologies from around the world, integrate them into a single solution, and then provide single source support from its offices in the UK. First, it selected Cimcore, world leader in innovative portable metrology solutions whose INFINITE portable CMM measuring arms offer an accuracy of 0.005mm and infinite rotation of the principal axes, and which use new, inherently heat-stable composite materials. Next came Perceptron’s ScanWorks Contour probe, with its ability to scan a staggering 23,000 points per second without compromising an accuracy of 0.005mm. The third and final part of the solution was to incorporate software which, while operating on standard hardware, could handle this immense amount of data and convert it at high speed into 3D surface models and images – the solution was PolyWorks, from InnovMetric, which creates accurate polygon models and NURBS surfaces from the high-density point clouds generated from ScanWorks.
Together, these three technologies provide a measuring solution of unparalleled flexibility, speed and accuracy – the very characteristics that the HondaF1 team was looking for in a supplier which it could work with in the development of new chassis designs for its F1 cars. Honda, like Europac, realised that, liberated from its traditionally rigid straightjacket, metrology could offer enormous design and production advantages.
The Europac solution has been installed in the HondaF1 model shop where the prototype models for the F1 carbon fibre chassis are developed. In Formula 1, of course, nothing can ever be merely “good enough”. Everyone involved in the design and manufacture of a Formula 1 car participates in a perpetual search for the optimum design – an activity in which the goal posts move almost as fast as the cars.
As an integral part of the development process each chassis design is created as a full size model and its aerodynamic properties tested in a wind tunnel. As a result of these tests minor but performance-critical adjustments are made to the shape of the chassis, after which the model is returned to the wind-tunnel for re-testing. This process is repeated a number of times until the designers are convinced that the optimum form has been created. Capturing the exact mathematical alterations made during these design changes has previously been virtually impossible as traditional measurement methods were both too slow to be practical and often provided point data that was too coarse to be useful. With this solution both problems are overcome; measurement scanning that would previously have taken days is now completed in a matter of hours providing high-density point-cloud data which can be rapidly re-integrated into the chassis’ CAD model for further analysis.
Vince Todd, Honda Racing F1 Aerodynamics Manufacturing Manager, comments; “One of the major advantages of the Perceptron Laser is its ability to handle the many different types of material, from Black Carbon Fibre to Translucent Resin, which we use extensively in our Model Shop.”
As applicable to small components as to the entire chassis, an additional benefit of the system is in reverse engineering, particularly when dealing with small items for which traditional measurement methods have been inappropriate for the creation of accurate 3D CAD models - with the Europac system even the most technically challenging items can be accurately incorporated into the final CAD model.
When the chassis design has been finalised, the next stage of the process is to create the tooling to manufacture the three or four perfect copies that will be needed for the race-season. At this stage too, the system offers the HondaF1 team unparalleled benefits. Chassis tooling is created from the final design, held as a very accurate 3D computer model. However, it is often the case that during manufacturing some panels may become slightly distorted due to the manufacturing process itself; for example they may twist due to heating or become thicker due to the use of too much bonding material. It is quick and simple to scan the first production model and, comparing it with the original design held in the computer, to see a topographical error map of each panel on the screen, showing any variation from the original panel shape. It is then possible to adjust the form of the tooling in order to create the production panel to exactly the required form.
John Beckett is confident that the new measuring solution will change the future role of metrology; “Our work with HondaF1 has shown the great benefits can be obtained in the high-octane world of F1 design and production, but that is by no means the end of the story. Similarly configured solutions have been purchased to improve the design of jet engines, and, on a sub-contract basis for activities as diverse as measuring the set of a Harry Potter movie, to capturing the data on the treasures in a mummy’s tomb.
If knowledge is power, then fast and accurate measurement gives designers and manufacturers the power to bring better products to market faster, more economically and with far greater control. With this solution measurement has emerged from the back room and into the twenty first century.
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Posted:06/04/2006 -
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