By taking an additive manufacturing approach to Moto2 bike design, TransFIORmers succeeded in dramatically reducing the weight of its critical wishbone front suspension component by a factor of 40%. Comparing the one-piece titanium component with the original welded steel component, a weight saving of 600gr was achieved.
Metal 3D printing has also provided TransFIORmers with much finer control over component tolerances and the flexibility to very quickly iterate wishbone geometries to match specific chassis and kinematic requirements.
“The weight reduction that metal 3D printing has achieved for us in our wishbone component has enabled us to bypass traditional weight transfer phenomenon and the problems associated with ‘brake dive’. More than that, it’s allowed us to design a part that is not only lighter, but far more rigid at the same time,†explains Jà©rà´me Aldeguer, Mechanical Engineer, TransFIORmers.
With an ultimate tensile strength in excess of 1100 MPa when processed using additive manufacturing, and near perfect 99.7% densities, the titanium Ti6AI4V alloy used has delivered a radical new wishbone offering far greater rigidity than the original multi-part, hand-assembled steel component.
Thanks to additive manufacturing, TransFIORmers’ prototype wishbone development has become a highly efficient and cost effective process. Extensive part machining and assembly time overheads have been removed and design iterations and manufacturing have been made many times faster.
In June 2016 the team won its first ever Moto2 GP race at the FIM CEV event in Barcelona.
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