Formula 1 team goes for linear drives

Home of the Renault F1 Team has placed its future 'time to race' manufacturing capability on linear axes drives machining centres and turning centres to stay in the lead.

Set in rural Oxfordshire, the Whiteways Technical Centre, home of the Renault F1 Team, masks a hive of activity behind its tranquil exterior.

In 2003, the team finished a solid fourth in the Constructors Championship and captured two pole positions and five podium finishes for its drivers along the way, including victory for Fernando Alonso in Hungary.

And the team is 'hungry' for yet more success.

"Our goal for 2004 is to fight more consistently with Ferrari, Williams and McLaren and prepare to push for the championship in 2005," confirms Managing Director Flavio Briatore.

In order to achieve this, the Renault F1 Team has completed a comprehensive restructuring of its resources and, in this context, a re-evaluation of the machine tools in operation at Enstone.

"By early 2003 our previous machines had reached the stage where reliability had become an issue," explains Operations Director John Mardle.

"The reliability of our cars on the track is essential to our success and we need the same performance from our machine tools.

We view investment in latest technologies as a crucial part of our operation and this led to the commercial and strategic decision to make a change.

"DMG was at the top of our shortlist," he continues.

"We knew that a lot of engine manufacturers used DMG machines and they came highly recommended.

Operating in the 21st century, we wanted a 21st century partner to help us realise our ambition to win the World Championship." So what features of the DMG machines attracted the attention of this rapidly ascending F1 team? "The machine tool in industry is very fast moving," says Mardle, "particularly with respect to electronics and controls, and it appeared to us that DMG were not only running with it - they were setting the pace." The Renault F1 Team promptly proceeded to place an order for a total of 13 DMG machine tools including DMC vertical machining centres and CTX universal lathes - all featuring linear drive technology, as well as DMU five-axis universal machining centres.

The machines were delivered in three batches over the course of 2003 in order to avoid any disruption to production at Whiteways Technical Centre.

"Owing to the complexity of the parts we need to machine, we knew that the latest technology was required.

The linear drives were a big attraction - the machines are extremely quiet and smooth running and our surface finish and accuracy have improved considerably." While some manufacturers purchase machine tools for specific contracts, the Renault F1 Team opted for a different approach.

"We wanted versatility and we knew that the DMG machines would be able to cope with as many different components as we could muster.

We also wanted to be able to look a few years down the line and have the confidence to know that the machines would still meet our needs.

On top of it all, that the DMG machines could provide us with the speed and cycle times that we required." Considering that there are 5200 drawn components on a Renault F1 Team chassis and 85-90 per cent of these are manufactured in-house at Enstone, the DMG machines are kept extremely busy.

Although batches are small at around 20-off, the frenetic pace is heightened by the fact that if a part fails during testing, it has to be redesigned, remanufactured and transported anywhere in the world within a six-day lead-time.

"We manufacture in-house because it provides us with a level of control that we believe sets us apart from some of our competitor teams that choose to outsource," says Mardle.

The components manufactured by the Renault F1 Team are typically complex and thin-walled, with the ethos firmly focussed on weight, reliability and safety.

Materials vary from metal matrix composites and titanium alloys through to carbon fibre and high specification nylons, again highlighting the versatility of the DMG machines - and there is no margin for error.

"In Formula One, if the steering wheel is turned, the wheels have to respond immediately - and if the driver hits the brakes the car has to react quickly ? there is no slack involved and no time delay permitted.

To achieve responses of this nature the tolerances involved are incredibly tight." So how have the DMG machines adapted to this demanding environment? "To start with I would like to say that the commissioning period was seamless," declares Mardle.

"We didn't experience any disruption to our machine shop and the whole operation went like clockwork.

The training on the Heidenhain controls was amazing too, all completed via plug-in modules using a PC.

Since then the machines have performed perfectly and provided us with much more capability.

In terms of savings, we haven't done any numbers yet but we are pretty sure we are ahead.

For instance, we are definitely in front regarding the number of drawings we have issued this year and our outside spend is down.

We are also seeing less inspection reports." DMG has also surpassed itself in terms of service, with John Mardle describing response times as "unbelievable - the best I've ever seen".

The facility at Enstone is certainly a showcase for UK manufacturing.

The DMG machines are elegantly arranged in a spotless environment that reflects the gleaming and proficient image of Formula One.

"It's a working environment, but it is also a living showcase for the industry, which is very image conscious," he explains.

"When we were looking for a new machine tool partner, DMG seemed to have synergy with Formula One values ? they are very focussed and want to be the best at what they do in the same way that we want to be the best at what we do.

We need partners like DMG to help us win the championship.

Quality components equal reliability on track and that is essential." The Renault F1 Team is "more than happy" with its new partner and its new assets.

For instance, the DMC vertical machining centres, with a linear drive in the x-axis, is capable of up to 0.5G acceleration and rapid traverse rates of 70m/min.

With extremely short idle times during tool changes, chip-to-chip times of just five seconds can be achieved, which is an important factor in an industry such as Formula One, where efficiency is of the essence, particularly regarding machining.

Also featuring a linear drive in the X-slide is the CTX range of CNC universal lathes.

With rapid traverse rates of up to 60m/min and acceleration up to 1.5G, the linear drive helps to reduce idle time to a minimum and productivity to a maximum ? an output increase of at least 10 per cent can be expected.

The DMU machines are for the complete five-sided (and up to simultaneous five-axis) machining of prismatic components.

The centrepiece of this technology is the NC-rotary table and the swivel-mounted milling motor spindle as a driven b-axis, or the NC-swivel rotary table with the universal milling head.

In combination with a rapid traverse speed of 50m/min, the DMU range ensures the precision manufacture of small batch components.

"The five-axis facility has given us new capability and made us a one-stop-shop.

Nothing now seems insurmountable in terms of component complexity," says Mardle.

To add to the current quantity of 13 machines at Enstone, the Renault F1 Team has just ordered a DMU 80T from DMG for use in its model shop, and a further two machines (a DMU-125P and a GMX 200 mill-turn centre with linear drives) for its facility in France.

"We are very pleased to have DMG as an official supplier - adding to the selected portfolio of companies that bring their products and services to the team - only the best will do for the Renault F1 Team," concludes Mardle.

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