Software speeds F1 modifications under pressure

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Dec 22, 2003

AlphaCAM manufacturing software is used by Jordan F1 as a vital tool to help the team produce parts for its cars under the intense time-to-market pressures of Grand Prix motor racing.

Licom AlphaCAM manufacturing software has been selected by Jordan F1 as a vital tool to help the team produce parts for its cars under the intense time-to-market pressures of Grand Prix motor racing.

With races taking place in a different country every fortnight during the season, racing cars normally arrive back at the Jordan factory in Silverstone on the Tuesday following an event - only to be required on track for the next round of the World Championship eight days later.

"Here at Jordan Grand Prix we subcontract out a lot of our component work.

But while our planning department, production department and quality assurance department ensure that best practices are carried out at each of the companies we use, the design criteria originates from here", states Jordan's Trevor LeCoche.

"Designers today must be more conversant and have an appreciation for what the modern machine tool can do.

Some of the parts used today simply could not have been made a few years ago.

But with surfacing technology as advanced as it is, the options are greater".

"All CAD designs, regardless of its destination, originate in 3D on the SRDC-Ideas platform.

And up until 1999, we used it here in the CAM office.

However, we found that we had very little cause for 3D work and it didn't lend itself to the majority of work we were doing.

As a result, we sought to purchase a system that had a shop-floor programming facility.

There were a lot of good systems on market, but it was the ease of use that sold me on Licom's AlphaCAM system.

The last thing we need when a last minute component modification is called for is to have to spend hours on an Einstein-like CAM program".

"We installed 2D and 2.5D systems running on Hewlett Packards here in the machine shop for profiling work on a range of lathes and a Bridgeport VMC 560 mill.

If we need to do any 3D surfacing work, we will use the Ideas programme - the two are very compatible.

Typically, we are called on to do jigs, rear wing end plates, first offs and modifications required on the car.

Currently, we are working on modifications to the floor ballast, to find the optimum position for the engine in relation to a number of race conditions.

The key factor is that we must be able to react quickly to any given situation.

And for that, we must have reliable functionality and ease of use".

"We have since added a another seat in our composites department, where everything is taken straight from the digitiser", adds LeCoche.

"We are simply cutting 2D profiles on a Zund cutter and using AlphaCAM for its nesting capabilities".

"The growth of a Formula 1 team is all dependent on sponsors and likewise, the size and capabilities of a machine shop.

To that end, I would hope we would be able to expand our operation in the future and bring certain aspects of the subcontract work in-house.

Nevertheless, the key factor today in the world of Formula 1 machine shops is that everything must be cost-effective, while still enabling us to react to the same time-to-market issues as always", he concludes.