Mitsubishi Electric and Sauber F1 sign partnership agreement

[Caito]

http://www.f1technical.net/news/16073



There we can read:

More recently, it has also been supplying robots for laminating carbon components.

What is the, more precisely, the job of the robots? Does anyone have a pic or video of one?


Also, does EDM machines are preferable over "regular" cnc machines?


Bye,

Caito.-

[Formula None]

I'm sure this list of pros and cons is lengthy, but generally speaking EDM is good for cutting harder metals (tool steels, titanium), making very small features (holes, thin grooves & flanges) and getting a pretty smooth finish (EDM'd parts sort of look they've been sandblasted).

[noname]

What is the, more precisely, the job of the robots? Does anyone have a pic or video of one?

Shortly putting down the plies.
You may want to look at what Janicki Industries is doing for Boeing.

[marcush.]

EDM is using a copper or graphite electrode which is lowered into the part(acting as the second electrode) to erode material there.The process needs to be carried out in a dielectric medium .
the advantage is high precision and the material to be machined can already be very hard.so you can put a precise hole into a hardened die for example.Very common in tool and die making.

[Caito]

Got it with the EDM.

Still doubt about the carbon robot. They don't make 3thousand part, so it must be really good to justify programming a robot to layup carbon. How intricate can the piece be? Because the dreamliner is basically a tube, which is different to f1 carbon parts.



thanks!

Bye

[RacingManiac]

"mass" production with repeatability? Now the quantity made in F1 is minuscule compare to say an automotive OEM would do, but I am sure they make quite a few set of suspension components, even wings and such, and repeatable quality is probably quite important...

[Dragonfly]

I remember few years ago there was similar news. Only can't remember which team was getting EDM machines. Maybe it was Ferrari or maybe again Sauber.
I remember the fact because then I learned that whole gears and other complex shaped parts can be manufactured this way (I am not sure about the English term - head/frontal erosion??). Until that time my knowledge was only about thread erosion, which I happened to see here.