The factory buildings were specially designed with both style and incredible amounts of functionality in mind, from Renzo Piano’s Wind Tunnel building, completed in 2007 and resembling a part of an engine, to Marco Visconti’s visually stunning aluminum and opal glass paint shop, designed to minimize contact between the workers and toxic materials.
The central element of the Wind Tunnel building is a tubular duct 80m long where airflow can be artificially generated and modified for turbulence, angularity, and uniformity. The turbine guarantees an airflow of about 250kph for models in 1:2 scale and of about 150kph for 1:1 scale models, as well as real cars.
The central element of the Wind Tunnel building is a 80m tubular duct where airflow can be artificially generated and modified for turbulence, angularity, and uniformity.
Thanks to a mechanism controlled by more than 300 sensors and a conveyor belt that is synchronized with the wind speed, Ferrari's engineers can simulate and monitor practically every movement of the various models, from rolling to yawing, pitching, and swerving.
Engineering engines that purr
The mechanical workshop, too, was built with advanced technology in mind, as was the new logistics Ges, a long hangar-like building designed by Sturchio Architects & Designers, where the logistical heart of the Ferrari team is located.
It’s the eight-level paint shop, however, that is probably the most impressive facility at the Ferrari plant. Designed by Marco Visconti and opened in 2004, the paint shop is a magnificent structure of aluminum and opal glass, interspersed with clear insets that serve as an adjusting filter to the outside weather conditions, which helps to cut down on energy. Controlled by one operating and control center, the building was constructed in such a way as to ensure that contact between the workers and the materials used by the paint shop remained at a minimum. The powder-based primer and water-based paints are applied in a process of pretreatment and cataphoresis in a tunnel where the car bodies are immersed and rotated 360 degrees in 11 successive tanks, without any human intervention whatsoever.
Ferrari even has its own foundry on site, mainly to manufacture primary aluminium alloys, as well as to manufacture parts for engines and body work. Engine parts are cast by means of sand molds and gravity die-casting for what Ferrari maintains is “the best mechanical performance.”
There are also two prominent engine assembly lines in the Ferrari complex, for the production of the iconic eight- and 12-cylinder engines. The 12-cylinder line is reserved for the most experienced workers, who carry out all of the final assembly operations and sign the technical sheet of the engine. The eight-cylinder engine base is manufactured in the foundry unit by casting aluminium with 7 percent silicon (at approximately 760 degrees centigrade) into a shell.
Good day Allezw, The real mike Hailwood was a hero of mine and I followed him from the late, early 60's until his untimely death, but I also ride a Ducati and a H-D V Rod so I don't feel too bad about using the "name" . The Rolls-Royce phrase I used, was created long before "super cars" were born, it comes from the early days of Rolls-Royce, when they were quite likely the most expensive cars on the planet. You might say the Silver Ghost was a super car of it's time. Here's another "Rolls-Royce" story you might like. Have you ever heard of the Brough Superior Motor Cycle, well Brough used the term "The Rolls-Royce of Motor Cycles". Henry Royce (the engineer) sent a R-R person to inspect the bikes. Shortly after, R-R issued a statement, that they were happy for Brough to use the term. Can you imagine that now in the PC age, I can't. I think you missed the point of my reply really, I wanted to correct the misleading caption of the F1 engine.
Wonderful thing about rings, such as a valve seat. They expand and contract circumferentially as well which makes such details easier to slip into an interference fit whether the the detail is heated or cooled depending on the application. A long rod will gain or lose more in length than a cube of the same volume.
If memory serves well, the Testa Rosa was a four banger Ferrari sports car from the early fifties. The V8s are flat crank and shakers. That's the reason the four pipes on that bank in the illustration are joined instead of splitting and crossing over. There is no two-plane beat, either. You have to run a lot of pipes to get the same inline eight sound from a two-plane crank.
Mike: (Formerly Mike Hailwood in another life?) You're paraphrasing. It was John Pierp;oint Morgan resp;onding to a query about the upkeep cost of a yacht. And a Rolls Royce is actually cheaper than the greater lot of super cars.
And did you notice that the "volume " of the seat changes in MICRONs and the "volume" of the head changed in MM squared...
Actually it is a linear shrikage in each, with the hardened seats shrinking (in all dimensions) and the heated aluminum head expanding. Not an unusual practice when installing valve seats in any engine head, same process is used in cast iron heads also.
The "hybrid" car you are referring to is the Enzo replacement I think. Some prototypes are due out early next year, or a little before that. The technology is supposed to be similar to the formula 1 KER's unit, but I can't comment on that. F1 (racing) cars use regenerative energy (KER's) to charge batteries, these can be discharged directly into the crankshaft via a motor generator unit to enhance the powewr for over taking, but only at a specific rate of discharge. On to the article. Alas the engine on the first page of the article is a V8 and not as labled a V12, also it's a formula 1 motor and not a road car engine as the title leads the reader to belive. Having said that, it's interesting to read an "outsiders" perception of what Ferrari is like. Oh and if you have to ask how much the new Enzo costs, you'll get the Rolls-Royce answer; "if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it."
A Ferrai hybrid--that's something to see. I can admire the beauty and history of the cars and while not a car enthusiast, I can see where the elegance and power of the engine design would be an allure. Still, the Ferrai and all of these out-of-reach (sorry guys) performance cars seem a little over done.
Maybe I missed it in the story, Beth, but I believe Ferrari is developing a 900-HP, V-12 hybrid. I don't know if that will be considered "sustainable'...
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
The government wants to study your brain, and DARPA wants to use similar information to give robots true autonomy beyond any artificial intelligence developed to date. Sound like science fiction? It's not.
By refining topologies and using new fluid technology, Moog's new peak sine drive controller increases available power without increasing controller volume.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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