When asked about ways to improve the performance of racing cars, Colin Chapman, the founder of the iconic Lotus brand replied: “Simplify, then add lightness”.
If he was alive today, the innovative designer would be fascinated to see the practical application of his tongue-in-cheek advice, with the widespread adoption of composites throughout the world of motor-sport.
The extraordinary strength-to-weight ratio of composites has allowed engineers from F1 and other racing-car series to design cars that use semi-monocoque chassis, wings, spoilers and other parts made from these materials. Their strength and lightness result in cars that are both faster and safer than their pre-composite counterparts.
Motor-sport’s transition to the use of composites has been aided by a small number of highly specialised companies that have the required levels of composite design and production expertise — such as Global Technologies Racing (GTR), which is based in Fontwell, West Sussex.
The company’s founders, John Biddlecombe and Simon Kingdon-Butcher, have built a business that is now firmly established as a leading supplier of composite parts to the motor-sport market; it also supplies the aerospace,
defence, marine and automotive markets.
As many composite parts are manufactured to demanding dimensional tolerances, to ensure engineering reliability and the best possible aerodynamic characteristics, they present a range of problems to the metrology industry.
Measuring equipment must offer not only the required levels of accuracy and repeatability but also quick inspections and instant data capture, if it is to accommodate the continuous evolution of F1 designs throughout the racing season.
Comprehensive capability
GTR quality manager Troy Hull says: “Our knowledge of the use of composite within motor-sport is second to none. We manufacture everything from chassis, suspension, wing assemblies and bodywork to the smallest of fairings.
“The vast experience we have gained in this most demanding of areas has enabled GTR to acquire contracts for the manufacture of composite components, mouldings and assemblies for other challenging sectors, such as defence, aerospace, automotive and oil and gas.
“In addition to the quality of our work, a major factor in GTR’s success is the ability to react quickly to our customers’ needs.
“Having invested in the best-available design systems — including Catia V5 and Siemens NX CAD — we can rapidly take all projects from concept to fully designed products and on to manufacture. Our first-class production facilities, such as our 3m-diameter autoclave — one of the five we have on site — and ‘state of the art’ clean rooms also add to the speed of our service.
“In accordance with our policy of providing premium-quality components as quickly as possible, we recently searched for a measuring technology that would both enhance our accuracy capability and further increase our inspection throughput speed.”
Having looked at several alternatives, GTR bough an Edge ScanArm HD from Faro (
www.faro.com). “As well as its ease of use and impressive accuracy, we preferred the quality of the point clouds created by the equipment when scanning.
“The Faro product also performed particularly well when scanning across a range of materials with different colours and reflective properties. Following a short training course, four of our operators were able to quickly understand the Edge ScanArm’s basic operation, and all are now extremely proficient in its use.”
Range of routines
Highlighting the capabilities of the equipment, Mr Hull says: “We use the Edge ScanArm HD to perform a range of non-contact 3-D inspection routines and to accurately capture complex and free-form surface data as a detailed
3-D point cloud.
We scan a wide variety of components, including 5m aerospace wings and F1 gearbox components, down to the smallest of parts. ScanArm also allows us to undertake first-article inspection and to precisely digitise previously difficult-to-inspect features such as flush and gap.
“In addition to being quick and accurate, Faro laser scanning is particularly easy to perform, so we can verify the most awkward of features and include their dimensions in 3-D inspection reports that are both comprehensive and easy to understand.
“We also use the ScanArm to check a component’s complex geometry against CAD data, to ensure that its surface forms remain within tolerance; and where no CAD files or drawings exist and we need to reverse-engineer parts, the ScanArm allows us to perform a rapid scanning routine to digitise a part and create a fully surfaced accurate CAD model for future use.”
The Faro Edge ScanArm HD combines the flexibility and functionalities of a Faro Edge Measuring Arm with the high-definition Laser Line Probe HD to create a highly capable contact/non-contact portable measurement system that delivers rapid point-cloud collection with high resolution and high accuracy — without the need for any special coatings or target placement.
The system’s extra-wide scan stripe and fast frame capture boosts productivity by increasing coverage and reducing scanning time. Moreover, intricate components can be captured in fine detail as a result of 2,000 ‘actual points’ per scan line and a new blue laser that features ‘noise’ reduction technology.
Users can also dramatically reduce training time by using the new cross-hair feature and existing LED range-finder functionality, which provides real-time scanning feedback.