March 2018 – Global engineering technologies company Renishaw has renewed its sponsorship of French Moto2™ team, TransFIORmers. In partnership with I3D Concept and Renishaw, the team has used additive manufacturing to improve the performance of its Moto2™ bike. Renishaw first sponsored TransFIORmers in 2016 and for 2018, the team’s new rider, Corentin Perolari, will take to the track to race for a podium position, starting at Estoril in Portugal on March 25th.
The TransFIORmers team, led by former rider Christian Boudinot, is based in Perigueux, France and won its first race at the CEV Repsol European Championship in June 2016. The design of its custom bike is inspired by legendary motorbike designer Claude Fior. In recent races, the team has regularly finished in the top five. In 2018, the team will attend the CEV European Championships, building up to the French Grand Prix on May 20th.
TransFIORmers considers itself to be the only Moto2 team to use additive manufacturing to produce a structural component for the bike – a titanium wishbone formed part of its revolutionary front suspension system. By working with Renishaw and I3D Concept the team achieved a 600g weight saving on the part.
“Additive manufacturing is becoming a more popular technique in racing events,” explained Chris Pockett, Head of Communications at Renishaw. “In high-speed, high-performance applications like Moto2, the America’s cup and even the supersonic car, BLOODHOUND SSC, Renishaw’s additive manufacturing expertise has allowed teams to maximise performance and gain a competitive edge.”
“Following the success of the wishbone, we are now designing more and more parts to be additively manufactured,” said Jérôme Aldeguer, Mechanical Engineer, TransFIORmers. “Not all parts can be made in titanium, so we are looking to alternative materials to manufacture brackets, footrests, a chain tensioner and other essential parts of the bike.
“Additive manufacturing increases flexibility for improving the bike,” continued Aldeguer. “We can change our designs easily, without tooling, and are also able to optimise the topology of each part. In 2019, we plan to use additive manufacturing on a larger scale – including a total redesign of the bike as part of the move from a Honda to a Triumph engine.”
For more information on Renishaw visit www.renishaw.com.
About Renishaw
UK-based Renishaw is a world leading engineering technologies company, supplying products used for applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbine manufacture, through to dentistry and brain surgery. It has over 4,000 employees located in the 35 countries where it has wholly owned subsidiary operations.
For the year ended June 2017 Renishaw recorded sales of £536.8 million of which 95% was due to exports. The company’s largest markets are China, the USA, Japan and Germany.
Throughout its history Renishaw has made a significant commitment to research and development, with historically between 14 and 18% of annual sales invested in R&D and engineering. The majority of this R&D and manufacturing of the company’s products is carried out in the UK.
The Company’s success has been recognised with numerous international awards, including eighteen Queen’s Awards recognising achievements in technology, export and innovation.
Further information at www.renishaw.com
Source: Renishaw
