Sarginsons Industries has released designs showcasing how aluminium parts used in transportation can be made almost 50% lighter while maintaining their strength. This breakthrough has been achieved through AI-driven software that is under development to demonstrate that automotive aluminium parts can have their mass reduced without weakening their mechanical integrity.
AI-Driven Software for Weight Reduction
The designs reveal where excess aluminium has been removed, emphasising the software’s ability to simulate the varying mechanical properties of a part. This allows the right material to be placed in the right locations, ensuring optimal strength while reducing weight. The technology shows the potential for parts that are lighter and more efficient without compromising performance.
Sarginsons Industries helping the PIVOT Project
This innovation is part of the Performance Integrated Vehicle Optimisation Technology (PIVOT) project, which Sarginsons Industries is leading with its partners. The project has received a £6 million matched grant from the Advanced Propulsion Centre and Innovate UK. Sarginsons Industries aims to produce the first physical casting using this AI-driven technology by the summer.
The Impact of AI on Vehicle Design and Sustainability
Gavin Shipley, Technical Director at Sarginsons Industries, explained, "The designs don't just look extraordinary, but by being 50% lighter, they are extraordinary." The company has successfully overcome the complexities of simulating the yield, tensile strength, and elongation of cast components. This new technology allows Sarginsons Industries to predict, on a point-by-point basis, the mechanical performance of the entire casting. For the first time, this technology can simulate the true vehicle crash performance of a casting.
Sustainability Benefits of AI-Driven Castings
By utilizing secondary, fully recycled aluminium, Sarginsons Industries is reducing the need for environmentally damaging extractive mining while contributing to significant vehicular carbon reduction. This approach could represent the single most important advancement in reducing vehicle weight and carbon emissions since the advent of the electric car.
A Vision for the Future of Transport
The combined effect of Sarginsons Industries' technology is a game-changer. The ability to create organic, highly optimised designs allows for components that are both lightweight and strong. This breakthrough in casting could pave the way for cars, planes, trains, and drones to become lighter, greener, and more cost-effective.
