CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
7 November 2007
Implementation Investments
Delcam Looks to Build on Autosport Success
CADCAM developer Delcam is looking to build on its recent successes in the autosport industry at the Autosport Engineering exhibition to be held at the NEC, Birmingham, on 10th and 11th January. The company has recently seen its software adopted by manufacturers of engines and other components but remains best known in the industry as a result of the use of its PowerINSPECT inspection software to check vehicle conformity by the FIA and NASCAR.
Delcam's first major success with engine manufacturers came in 2004 when its PowerMILL CAM system was chosen by Zytek Engineering, one of the world's leading specialists in automotive control systems, race engine design and development, powertrain development and hybrid-electric vehicles, for the manufacture of all engines for the A1 Grand Prix series.
Since then, the two companies have worked together to develop novel machining strategies for motorsport engine manufacture, in particular for the finish machining of inlet and exhaust ports. The results have included reductions in machining times of up to 60%, together with better quality and consistency.
A more recent success was at the US engine builder, Wegner Motorsports. Wegner engines have competed in nearly every NASCAR division, including winning multiple championships in the BUSCH Grand National series. Again, the main benefit of the software is in CNC cylinder head porting.
With PowerMILL, an entire set of cylinder head ports can be recreated from a hand-crafted original, machined, tested and installed into an engine, within one to two days. According to Casey Wegner, Carl's son and head of the CNC department, "Previously, it would take us between 20 and 26 hours to machine the ports. Now, we can complete a head in about 45 minutes. Plus, people in the industry are amazed at how smooth the walls of our ports are."
Last year, PowerMILL was used, together with Delcam's PowerSHAPE CAD software, by Coventry-based Visioneering to produce the majority of the components, apart from the powertrain, in the record-breaking JCB Dieselmax car. The unique demands of the project meant that hardly any standard components could be used. Even apparently routine items, such as hinges and catches, had to be machined from solid to ensure that they would give the high level of quality required.
Both the body and the underfloor were produced in carbon-fibre reinforced composites using tooling designed with PowerSHAPE and machined with PowerMILL. Extremely sophisticated flow analysis (CFD) methods were used to optimise the shape of the body so it was essential that the tooling was able to reproduce this form exactly.
However, the most impressive components according to Operations Manager, Adrian Coppin, were the two engine covers. These were machined from solid using programs generated in PowerMILL. "For machining accuracy, these were the best parts we have ever produced," he claimed. "The surface finish that we achieved was remarkable - no hand finishing was required at all."
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