2. “Black Metal”
• Do you have a weight problem
with a metallic component?
• Carbon fibre can provide more
than 80% weight saving
• However, switching to carbon
requires thinking outside the box:
it is not simply “Black Metal”
3. Lightweight
Design for Value
Advanced Composites
Green credentials
Creative
Prototypes
4. Formtech GmbH
Formtech GmbH was formed in 1993 by
Franz Hilmer and represents the highest
level of quality in manufacturing.
The facility is situated in Niederwinkling,
Bavaria with more than 3,000m^2 of plant
and equipment. The unique mix of
machining capability provides solutions to
all areas of a typical modern race car from
Delivery 5-Axis to gear grinding: the complete
package.
Quality
CMM
Grinding
5-Axis
5. Formtech Composites
Formtech expanded into the carbon fibre
composites sector of motorsports by
purchasing the Super Aguri F1 Team assets
and IP. The facility is situated in the UK
motorsports cluster in Oxfordshire: home to
6 of the current F1 teams.
The composites workshop covers 1,000 sq
m with a high level of equipment and a highly
experienced flexible workforce.
Motorsports Valley
High quality supply base
Design
Complete Solution
6. Autoclaves
State of the art gas fired autoclaves with
temperature and pressure control with
capacity for parts as large as floors,
monocoques and top bodies.
All cure cycles are logged in order to
provide the highest levels of traceability.
Individual ports for vacuum and
thermocouple control mean redundancy
throughout a batch.
Up to 400C and 15 BAR.
Traceability
High temperature
Capacity
High pressure
7. Cleanroom
A fully pressurised cleanroom with airlock
and air-conditioning is a prerequisite for
modern aerospace levels of quality. An
automated laminate cutting machine
provides repeatability and quality while
large walk-in freezers give the capacity for
large batches of parts to be manufactured.
Automated Cutting
Walk in Freezers
Pressurised Clean Room
8. Oven Processing
To complete the processing capability
Formtech has two ovens, a small fully
controlled oven for R&D and small projects
and a large 2.7 x 2.5 x 2m Aeroform oven
that can be used for post curing, adhesives
and special process development such as
resin transfer and thermoforming of
mandrels.
200°C
RTM
Ovens
9. Assembly
A requirement for the delivery of high
quality assemblies is jig design for the
control of bonding processes. The
assembly area has a Faro arm for accurate
inspection of assemblies such as front
wings, engine covers and monocoques.
High pressure
Jig Design
Assembly Quality
Control
10. Quality
The Formtech Group has a fully operational
quality system with ISO 9001 accreditation
rolled out to all members of the group.
All processes are documented and
controlled allowing Formtech to provide a
high level of quality assurance.
Conformance documentation is provided
with all components manufactured.
Process Control
Ultrasonic's
CMM
ISO9001
Reverse Engineering
11. Composite Design
We provide the full range of tools and
expertise to design and develop composite
structures. Using FEA, CAD and bespoke
modelling techniques to push structures to
their very limit.
Formtech provides expertise in turning
designs from metal to composites and the
development of new concepts and
processes.
Carbon Fibre Aquacore
Pre Preg
RTM
Glass Fibre
Male moulded
12. Mechanical Design
Formtech has experience in design,
manufacturing and testing of a range of
mechanical components including the use of
specialist materials such as AllVac, AMC and
the normal high end aluminium, titanium and
steel.
The full process is supported from CAD
models through to the final testing of parts
such as torsion bars, axles and uprights.
Metal Matrix Materials
Axles
Uprights
Torsion Bars
Failure criteria
13. Stress Analysis
Theoretical modelling of composite structures
is still developing. Formtech has experience of
the development of coarse and fine modelling
techniques for crash prediction, non-linear
analysis for aero elasticity, temperature
effected components, failure criteria and
material testing provide an overall package for
the development of new concepts in carbon.
Explicit
Non-linear
Laminate modelling
Failure criteria
Correlation
Coarse and Fine
Material testing
Aero elasticity
15. Carbon Gearbox
1st full carbon gearbox was designed at
Arrows Grand Prix with John Barnard.
Mark Preston developed the composite
design, crash testing, quality testing and
maintenance schedule. Final version was
Arrows A23.
Case then moved onto a number of teams
including McLaren and Honda.
Formtech owns the IP and recently
proposed to supply all F1 teams standard
carbon gearboxes.
Rigidity
Lightweight
Durability
Repair/Maintenance
16. Rear Top Wishbone
Problem:
•Aerodynamics – smallest size possible
•Temperature – rear of the car near
exhausts
•Cost – reduce the price of flexures
Modelling Techniques •Stiffness – reduce the joints
•Strength – Make it one piece
One piece
Lightweight
Cost
Aerodynamics
Simplicity
17. Rear Top Wishbone
Formtech can provide the complete
solution: conceptual design, prototypes,
load case development, testing
requirements as well as the manufacture
and ongoing proof testing and inspection.
Weight Reduction
• Original Steel Part - 100%
• Carbon and steel - 52.7%
• Full carbon - 41.7%
Laminate Definition
Proof testing
Fatigue
Failure Analysis Temperature
18. Development Testing
Motorsports composite design requires a
high level of expertise and experience in
order to deliver lightweight and reliable
structures.
Formtech can provide a full service design,
prototype testing and manufacture of safety
critical components.
Formtech has the capability to provide
FIA crash testing for FIA technical rules, proof
testing of structural components and failure
analysis.
Safety systems
Side impact
Failure Analysis
Crash testing
Prototype development
19. NDT Techniques
The development of truly lightweight high
performance composite structures requires
the capabilities to develop an indepth
understanding of the problems at hand.
One of the biggest problems in
development of highly loaded structural
components is to find the mechanism for
failure. Without the mechanism it is difficult
to define a solution.
Ultrasonic NDT techniques such as ultrasonic and
acoustic emission are used by Formtech for
Acoustic emission these applications.
Failure analysis
Quality
Correlation
Development techniques
20. Acoustic Emission
Correlation of modelling tools such as FEA
is difficult in composites. Mark Preston
developed the acoustic emission technique
for highly loaded structures in Formula One
applications such as chassis impact testing.
Failure mechanisms and correlation
provide valuable data for the optimisation of
structural components such as the F1
monocoque shown on this page.
Correlation
FEA
Failure analysis
