Superform shapes the cars of the future

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Nov 22, 2000

UK-based Superform Aluminium are helping famous car makers like Rolls Royce/Bentley, Aston Martin and Morgan revolutionise the way their cars are made.

UK based Superform Aluminium are helping famous car makers like Rolls Royce/Bentley, Aston Martin and Morgan revolutionise the way their cars are made.

Originally developed for aircraft component manufacture, the Superforming process is now the number one choice to supply complex three dimensional formed aluminium body panels for the luxury and sports car markets.

Already renowned for their technical expertise, Superform have invested heavily in new technology and production processes by opening a new production unit at their Worcester headquarters specifically for large part manufacture.

With a capacity of 3m x 2m x 600mm, the new facility offers unrivalled capability for car body panels, rail interior and exterior panels, building cladding panels and many other applications.

In the Superform process a sheet of aluminium alloy is heated to about 500C then formed into a single surfaced form tool under air pressure.

Benefits of the process include: low tooling costs, short lead times, no springback in parts, excellent repeatability and the ability to trial different material thicknesses on the same tool.

Over the past few years Superform has made great in roads into the automotive market through the application of new technology with in house CATIA based tooling design and prototyping, combined with new tooling technologies which deliver the Class A surfaces required by leading car makers.

Morgan Cars are one famous manufacturer who have fully embraced the Superform process.

Superform technology was first introduced into Morgan in the O901s when the process was used to manufacture wings on all their models, replacing a three-piece steel fabrication with a single Superform alloy component proving lighter, more corrosion resistant, dimensionally accurate and a superior finish, so improving the quality of fit during car assembly.

The success of this approach led to Morgan specifying the process for manufacturing most of the body panels on the new Aero 8, the company1s all new 160 mph supercar.

The Aero 8 takes its name from a pre war Morgan sports car and is the result of a four-year development programme.

It utilises an advanced lightweight aluminium chassis clothed in a combination of hand formed and Superformed aluminium body panels powered by a high performance V8 engine.

Marketing Director Matthew Parkin says "We were already using Superform to make the wings of the traditional models and so were very familiar with the process which we found gave superb quality with modest tooling cost.

Aluminium is the perfect material from which to manufacture a high performance vehicle such as the Aero 8.

It is extremely light but strong and using natural materials is in keeping with the traditional image of the Morgan.

Our image is as far away from glass fibre as you can get!" Managing Director Charles Morgan adds "We need to produce Class A surfaces which lift both the quality and finish of the car.

The Superform process is unique in that it allows complex shapes in a stress free panel".

With the new large part forming production facility now in place, and a series of prestigious new automotive contracts awarded, Superform are now set to literally help form the shape of the luxury car market.

Aston Martin unveiled its most sophisticated and technologically advanced new model in early October.

Costing around ?170,000 the V12 Vanquish will be Aston Martin1s top of the range flagship model and 300 per year will be built at its Newport Pagnell site.

With a maximum speed in excess of 190 mph and a 6.0 litre V12 engine offering more than 450 horsepower it will make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2001.

It can accelerate to 60 mph in under 4.5 seconds and 100 mph in under 10 seconds.

Through the application of advanced design techniques and materials it is lighter, stiffer and stronger and offers superior performance to that of the V8 engine Vantage model it replaces.

In keeping with the technological advances most of the exterior body panels are constructed from Superformed aluminium sheet with each individual panel then hand tailored to the central structure to ensure a perfect panel fit.

A perfect combination of technology and craft.

Chief Programme Engineer, Ian Minards says 3We used the Superform process to give us dimensionally accurate panels at an affordable tooling price for a niche product.

We looked at conventional stamping but realised the shapes would be difficult to achieve using conventional pressing techniques.

We are extremely happy with the support we receive from Superform and feel that the process might lend itself to future products�.

The Vanquish also benefits from the most comprehensive and exhaustive test programme ever to be undertaken by Aston Martin with 50 prototypes covering more than 1.0 million miles.

Components and systems were subjected to a series of exhaustive trials on test rigs in Ford Research and Development Centres in Britain, mainland Europe and the United States.

In order to assess the integrity and durability of the bonded body structure an environmental wind tunnel was employed to subject a Vanquish body to extreme temperatures ranging from -40 to +81C.

It also represents the largest ever investment by Aston Martin in advanced technology pioneering a series of world firsts design and construction.

The main body structure utilises carbon fibre, extruded aluminium and composite materials bonded together to form a central monocoque safety cell with additional deformable composite structure energy absorbent zones at both front and rear.

It provides standards of efficiency, structural integrity, torsional rigidity and occupant crash protection compatible with a modern Formula 1 car and exceeds all known or projected safety legislation.

Add to this the Aston Martin pedigree and it is already established as a modern classic.