Striving for rapid direct manufacture
Renault's Formula One team has installed two selective laser sintering machines which it expects will increase in-house production speeds by at least 30%. Dean Palmer investigates
Renault's Formula One team has installed two selective laser sintering machines which it expects will increase in-house production speeds by at least 30%. Dean Palmer investigates
Renault's Formula One team is planning to manufacture a "large" quantity of components for its R24 racing car in-house using two new selective laser sintering (SLS) machines which it installed recently.
The machines, supplied by 3D Systems, were installed at the company's Advanced Digital Manufacturing (ADM) Centre based in Enstone, and will provide Renault with the capability to manufacture directly end-use parts for the R24 racing car.
The Renault F1 Team already uses SLS to produce parts for cooling systems, electrical systems and various body parts but is looking to increase the volume of parts it produces by SLS. The company plans to commence manufacture shortly and hopes to "increase production speeds by at least 30%" and "realise significant time and cost savings".
John Mardle, Renault F1 team operations director, commented: "The addition of the SLS system capacity to the ADM Centre forms part of our long term vision for rapid direct manufacturing. This plays a significant role in the future production of our racing cars as we strive to reduce lead times further and guarantee the best possible level of production response time.
"Through our collaboration with 3D Systems we have benefited from significant advancements in material developments in the field of stereolithography. Using our new SLS system capabilities, we plan to exploit new technologies and applications even further."
