TITAL's Titanium Castings Strong in Motorsports
In 2010 TITAL is supplying well-known teams of the Formula One racing circuit with gearboxes, wheel carriers, engine and chassis components made from precision aluminum and titanium castings. TITAL also supports customers from the ALMS / Le Mans, DTM, GT and MotoGP racing series. The motor sports industry benefits from the incredibly high standards of quality that TITAL has developed with their casting processes while serving the worldwide aerospace marketplace. TITAL is currently investigating the possible expansion of its business into the automotive sector where the company plans to participate in the development of prototypes to build more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles.
Philipp Jerusalem, Director Sales and Marketing: "We have demonstrated to the motor sports industry that we are able to produce small batch series and prototype quantities, including 1 piece lots if required and we are poised to quickly respond to our customers' needs in a very flexible way. We consider ourselves a premier supplier for R&D and small batch production." The use of aluminum investment casting not only reduces the weight by several pounds but also reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions which strongly influences environmental protection.
The motor sports business poses a challenge for TITAL as "it is clearly about developing innovative procedures and using materials which are superior to other production processes", explains Rainer Sabisch, Engineering Manager at TITAL. When designing the parts, all technical possibilities have to be exhausted. This means maximum complexity and strength while minimising weight in the shortest time possible. TITAL scores in this area with the patented HERO® Premium Investment Casting process. Sabisch: "Weight savings of up to 25% can be achieved with a gearbox using aluminum investment casting process compared to a sand casting."
Another challenge: each one of the castings produced has to be manufactured as a prototype to the sophisticated approval standards of the specific racing series (e.g. Formula 1). Usually there is no time for samples as it has to be delivered in only four to eight weeks and because the requirements of the customers are different every season "there are no samples which can be adopted", comments Sabisch. A specifically skilled team is in charge of the production of parts in the prototype sector with the shortest production and lead times.
When using rapid prototyping, the patterns (positive molds) for the lost wax process are made using the laser sinter process. Thus a casting batch size of 1 piece can be produced at acceptable costs without losing the flexibility to make ongoing design changes.