At the 78th
International Motor Show in Geneva, Pininfarina presented the
Sintesi, a new concept car that explores ideas and solutions for
the car of the future. Materialise has made several
stereolithography components for this car. It is the first
time in history that additive technologies play such a prominent
role in a concept car project.
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Sintesi is the result of the Pininfarina Design Department,
under the direction of Lowie Vermeersch. The Sintesi is a sports car with four doors and four seats,
developed by a highly innovative approach: it does not
consider the car as a shape that covers the mechanicals, but
one that gives a shape to the mechanicals around the
passengers, starting from the latter. |
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Our source of inspiration was man’s freedom over technology,
a car in which technology gives creative freedom back to the
designer and allows us to explore new forms and future
scenarios. This is why we combined and tested our ideas with
the innovative technologies provided by our partners in this
project. In its search for partners for Sintesi, Pininfarina sought not only the best partners, but partners willing to
share the project as a whole: its challenges, difficulties,
problems and solutions. |
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The new car design forms and
futuristic approach that are characterising the Sintesi, excluded the use of traditional manufacturing technologies.
Pininfarina therefore needed a partner with substantial
knowledge of Freeform Manufacturing, like Materialise.
Freeform Manufacturing uses additive technologies (also
referred to as 3D printing/ rapid prototyping technologies),
fully automated processes that don't require moulds and thus
allow a virtually unlimited freedom in design.
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Today, these technologies are
increasingly used in the production of concept cars and
gradually, they will be applied for the production of final
cars as well.
The use of Freeform Manufacturing allowed Pininfarina to
materialise their creative design ideas.
Materialise has produced several components for the Sintesi
project, all by means of the additive technology
stereolithography (SLA): the radiator, control panels, roof
antenna, remote controller, roof light cover and most
importantly, the instrument panel which is the centrepiece
of the car’s interior.
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The interior of the car is not
conceived as a separate element but is fully integrated with
the overall design. The instrument panel is designed as one
integrated semitransparent piece, deriving its richness from
a sophisticated play of light that serves as a visual and
intuitive feedback for the different functions.
The tremendous complexity of the dashboard combined with the
translucent aspect, required the use of additive
technologies, as no other technology would have been capable
of realising the same ground-breaking effect. During the
file preparation phase, a complex webbing structure was
integrated in the dashboard to give it functional strength.
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The eventual panel was “printed” in
its full width on a Materialise Mammoth SLA machine, with a
build volume up to 2150 x 700 x 800 mm, in a translucent
PP-like epoxy (Poly 1500).
Due to its complexity, also the radiator had to be
manufactured by means of additive technologies.
The production of the smaller components like the roof
antenna and remote controller show the endless
personalisation possibilities of additive manufacturing.
Nowadays, the state of the art of additive technologies
allows that this type of products can be manufactured in
small series of production cars or one-offs. This is a big
step forward towards real personalised manufacturing. |
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Bertone Mantide Concept
 
At the Shanghai Motor Show Bertone
has unveiled the Mantide Concept, an extreme concept
car previewed as Project M and based on the Corvette
ZR1. The futuristic and aerodynamic design was
created by former Pininfarina designer Jason
Castriota.
Unveiled as a styling model at the 2009 Shanghai
Motor Show, the Bertone Mantide - codenamed
"Project M" - was created by a team led by
Jason Castriota, who joined Stile
Bertone on December 2008.
 
The aerodynamic lines were refined through extensive
testing in a full scale wind tunnel,
which resulted in a drag coefficient reduced by 25%
(Cd 0.298) and a 30% improvement in down force.
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The use of carbon
fiber for the body panels, interior
trim/seats and wheels allowed to
reduce the total weight by 100kg.
The main performances are a
0-100 km/h acceleration in 3.2 sconds and a
top speed of 351 km/h.
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From the official Press Release:
Mantide has been
designed and engineered in collaboration with the
renowned Danisi Engineering and "aims to be the
world's greatest street legal performance car,
wrapped in an iconic and radical Stile Bertone
design."
Mantide's futuristic
design draws equal inspiration from modern aerospace
and the world of Formula One.
The iconic theme is clear to see: a
teardrop-like fuselage which
tightly encases the mechanicals and the passenger
cell which is embraced by two prominent wrapping
aerodynamic appendages.
"While shockingly bold and
technical, Mantide's unique design maintains a
sensuality unique to Italian sports cars thanks to a
futuristic interpretation of the classic Kamm Back
two volume silhouette."
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The aerospace inspired
design aesthetic is further characterised by
innovative yet beautiful forms which are
fully driven by performance: the low-slung
nose, jet fighter style teardrop canopy and
butterfly opening doors, as well as the
numerous air inlets and exhausts for maximum
air efficiency. |
Mantide also boasts cutting edge aerodynamic
performance fine-tuned in an advanced full scale
wind tunnel.
Features include a Le Mans prototype-derived flat
floor and diffuser as well as "flying
buttresses" which help to increase aero
efficiency, guarantee a lower drag coefficient and
greater levels of down force.
The final aerodynamic results are
class leading, with drag reduced by 25% (Cd 0.298)
and a 30% improvement in down force.
The Mantide not only delivers greater speed and
stability, but also more efficiency and therefore
lower fuel consumption.
The Mantide promises even greater performance than
the ZR1, due to significant weight savings and its
highly advanced aerodynamics.
Using carbon fibre for all body panels, interior
trim, seats and even the wheels, the result is
a 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds and a
top speed of 351 kph (217mph).
Safety and chassis rigidity have been increased with
the incorporation of an FIA regulation triangulated
roll cage, light-weight carbon fibre racing seats
and 4pt racing harness for track use.
torna su
Italdesign
Giugiaro Namir:
l’ibrido più veloce al mondo
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La Giugiaro Namir
è una della automobili
presentate a
Ginevra 2009 con il più
ampio bagaglio tecnologico;
si tratta di una concept car
sviluppata da Italdesign e
accreditata come
l’automobile ibrida più
veloce al mondo.
Una dichiarazione
impegnativa che ovviamente
gradiremmo vedere dimostrata
tra i cordoli di un circuito
asfaltato, ma vediamo nel
dettaglio quali sono le
caratteristiche della
Giugiaro Namir che la
rendono così speciale.
Il design è una ennesima
dimostrazione dell’abilità
di
Giugiaro nel tracciare
con poche linee la sagoma di
un’automobile
sportiva ricca di
personalità e
capace di ispirare una
grande motricità e
dinamismo. |
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L’auto è realizzata con una
struttura monoscocca
in fibra di carbonio
che assicura alla
Namir grande resistenza e
peso contenuto.
Se la linea è un classico
della matita di Giugiaro
quello che cela il cofano
della Namir è qualcosa di
veramente interessante. Si
tratta di un sistema
ibrido insolito;
infatti in luogo dell’ormai
consueto propulsore termico
abbinato a quello elettrico,
troviamo un motore
rotativo Wankel da
814 centimetri cubici. Il
rotativo è una scelta che
ultimamente è stata adottata
esclusivamente dalla
giapponese
Mazda sulle sportive
RX
e si distingue oltre che per
le eccezionali prestazioni
anche per una sete di
carburante implacabile. |
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Sulla Namir il Wankel è
abbinato a quattro
propulsori elettrici posti
in corrispondenza delle
quattro ruote; questo
sistema garantirebbe
accelerazioni brucianti,
paragonate addirittura alla
Dodge Viper, e una
velocità di punta di 300
km/h.
Dalla Italdesign ci
confortano su un probabile
futuro produttivo della
Namir, garantendo che non
rimarrà un mero esercizio di
stile.
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torna
su
Lear
Automotive: reliable tests on
high-quality prototypes
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Lear Automotive provides
complete seat systems,
electronic products and
electrical distribution
systems. The company's
world-class products are
designed, engineered and
manufactured by a
diverse team of 90,000
employees at 215
locations in 34
countries.
Lear’s dedication to
continuously improve
their processes and
vehicle interior quality
stimulates them to turn
to high quality
prototypes for
performing reliable
tests in the early
design phase. Engineers
examine everything, from
small components to
complete vehicle systems,
in terms of safety and
durability. |
Metal
Plating prototypes: a fast and
cost-effective alternative for trimming
feasibility analysis
The metal plated car
seat
frame is representative
enough to allow trimming
tests
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As a
well-established
full seat integrator,
Lear has the
responsibility to
meet governmental
and customer safety
specifications.
Therefore, their
seating components
are fully examined
for physical
durability,
life-cycle integrity,
noise, vibration and
strength – even from
the prototyping
phase.
When projects are in
RFQ phase, Lear has
to perform trimming
trials. At this
stage it is very
difficult to
materialise metal
prototype frames
that are fully
representative.
Convinced that there
must be a better
solution out there,
Lear recently
contacted
Materialise to
provide them with
car seat frames that
are representative
and less expensive
than the ones they
used before.
After evaluating Lear’s
requirements, we
realised that we had the
perfect solution for
them, i.e. our new metal
plating technology
combined with Mammoth
stereolithography.
Dispositing a layer of
copper and then a layer
of nickel onto a
stereolithography
prototype makes this
component unique in its
performance.
Materialise’s Mammoth
stereolithography
technique provides the
unique benefit of being
able to produce a
component in any
requested shape without
manual effort and with
dimensions of up to 2100
mm x 700 mm x 800 mm.
Adding a composite metal
lamination of copper and
nickel to the
stereolithography parts,
provides a stiff and
strong surface with
improved stability.
Lear Automotive were
delighted with their
metal plated prototypes
as they much more
closely resembled the
final serial frame
design on a technical
level and allowed them
to run more accurate
trimming feasibility
analysis.
Until we discovered the
metal plating service of
Materialise, we used to
do with manual metal
sheet bending. Today we
have the luxury to make
use of large parts in
metal plated
stereolithography that
are delivered in record
times and are in
accordance with our CAD
definitions. Finally, we
are able to put
realistic tension onto
fabrics and foam of the
car seats during our
trimming feasibility.
Yves Ciszek, project
engineer at Lear
Automotive in France
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Stereolithography
dashboard
on Mammoth machine
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The procedure starts
with a component that is
built using additive
layer manufacturing
techniques, like
stereolithography, laser
sintering or fused
deposition modelling.
This component then
undergoes the metal
plating process during
which a layer of copper
and optionally nickel is
applied.
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