The best of both worlds

The Renault F1 Team's longstanding partnership with GF AgieCharmilles is set to continue throughout 2010 with the team set to benefit from the latest EDM and high performance 5-axis milling machine tool technologies from the Coventry-based company.

Over the coming months, ten new machines will be installed at Renault's F1 production facility in Enstone, UK, and used to manufacture a diverse range of high performance, high precision, F1 car parts.

The EDM machines – seven wire EDM and two die sink – are part of an ongoing capital equipment improvement programme. The wire EDM machines are all from GF AgieCharmilles' CleanCut range and comprise FI 240CCS (3-off), 3 x FI 440CCS (3-off) and FI 640CCS (1-off). As well as being equipped with high speed CleanCut generators, all machines are said to deliver high levels of accuracy, fast cutting speeds of 500mm²/minute and excellent surface finishes of Ra 0.1µm. They also feature automatic wire thread and integrated collision protection capabilities.

The two new die sink machines are FO 350SP models which also deliver good surface finishes and are equipped with GF AgieCharmilles IQ (zero wear) technology which claims to significantly increase the life and performance of electrodes.

By contrast, the Mikron HPM 600U 5-axis machine is the first GF AgieCharmilles machining centre chosen by Renault.

The Renault F1 Team is no stranger to EDM technology and no stranger to GF AgieCharmilles. A technical partnership between both organisations has existed for 14 years. Since 1996 EDM technology has become increasingly important to Renault and is considered to be a core technology alongside other, more conventional machining methods.

John Mardle, operations director at Renault F1 explains: “There are approximately 12,000 different parts in a Renault F1 car and EDM technology, either completely or partially, is involved in the manufacture of about 5-8% of the total. Furthermore, it's likely that the proportion of parts manufactured using EDM technology will grow exponentially in the future.

“Components such as suspension uprights, which in the past were manufactured from steel and involved a significant amount of fabrication, have been completely redesigned and transformed in recent years. Today they are wire profiled from solid pre-moulded MMC derivative blanks.”

An upright is the component that links the suspension wishbones to the axle and the wheel. Owing to the multitude of functions the upright has to accommodate, it is subject to considerable stresses. This is particularly the case under braking when the upright must withstand the loads from downforce, the braking event and also suspension movement.

He continues: “There are obvious advantages to using EDM technology in this application and other similar applications: EDM is a non contact process, therefore no stresses are created in the workpiece material; the previous fabrication of uprights was prone to failure – with cracking, especially on the welding joints, being a specific problem. Now, because the parts are able to be machined from solid blanks, they are more reliable, are stiffer and have a higher load bearing; high accuracies and exceptional surface finishes are the hallmarks of EDM technology and can be achieved on one machine in a single set-up; and intricate and delicate parts and features, such as thin walls and tight internal radii can only be manufactured to the exacting standards we demand on an EDM machine.

“The integrated automation on our GF AgieCharmilles EDM machines, which includes features like fast automatic wire thread capability, plus the machines' ability to run unattended or lights out extends our manufacturing capacity and helps us control costs,” Mr Mardle adds. “The new EDM machines also have excellent cutting speeds and removal rate capabilities.”

As Mr Mardle reveals, it was on the strength of the performance of GF AgieCharmilles EDM technology and the reputation of its Mikron 5-axis machining centres that convinced Renault to choose a GF AgieCharmilles HPM 600U 5-axis machine.

“The HPM 600U was not purchased to machine a specific part or family of parts – instead we could see from the outset that the machine had real potential and could be used to machine a diverse range of components immediately and well into the future.

“The power, machining capability, accuracy, inherent flexibility and process reliability of the machine and its ability to help us machine parts faster, better and more economically, were the key drivers behind our choice.”

The HPM 600U machine is equipped with a 20,000rpm (HSK – A63) advanced motor spindle, direct drive rotary table technology and SMART Technology software for improved performance and reliability. The machine is versatile and can handle everything from heavy-duty, roughing through to fine finishing operations.

AgieCharmilles
www.gfac.com/uk