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Leading Formula One Team Feels The 'Force'

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team, a user of VERICUT verification, simulation and optimisation software from CGTech for over two decades, recently completed trials of VERICUT Force with highly impressive results.

VERICUT Force is physics-based software that analyses and optimises cutting conditions to deliver significant time savings and improved tool life. The trial use of Force on a complex radiator component at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team provided notable cycle time savings of 25% at the first attempt.

The success of Force emanates from its ability to set the maximum reliable feed rate for a particular cutting condition based on four factors: load on the cutting edge, spindle power, maximum chip thickness and maximum allowable feed. With the Machine Shop at the Brackley headquarters of Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team keen to discover what advantages VERICUT Force could deliver, CGTech granted the use of three temporary licences for trial purposes.

"We've been intrigued by Force since it launched a few years back," said Robert Brown, Machine Shop Manager at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team." The opportunity to run a trial was too good to turn down. It gave us the chance to have a really good look at the software; take the covers off, so to speak."

The trial

An actual radiator assembly component from the race car was the perfect candidate for the trial. While highly complex in terms of features (requiring around 30 tools), the part is small enough to have a relatively short cycle time so the Machine Shop could quickly implement program changes as part of an iterative improvement process. The plan was to produce the part from solid 6000-series aluminium alloy bar on a Mazak Integrex five-axis turn-mill machine. Component tolerances are in the realm of ±7.5 µm. There are also several features with true positions of 0.10mm, tied up to multiple datums.

"At the start of the project we had one day of VERICUT FORCE training for our Production Engineering Group here at Brackley," explained James Peddle, Production Engineer at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team. "We found it quite easy to use; it has a similar layout to the interface of other VERICUT products. After the training, CGTech gave us six weeks to 'play' with the software, applying optimisation to our trial part. CGTech returned at the end of the process to validate our work before transfer to the machine."

The result

Machining the Force-optimised part produced outstanding results. The original cycle time was three hours and 15 minutes; post-trial it was just two hours and 27 minutes. Not only did the Machine Shop achieve this 25% cycle time reduction at the first attempt, but the trial involved the optimisation of just four roughing tools (two- and three-flute end mills). There is clear potential for even further gains.

"Theoretically, we could save even more time with some tweaks to entry and exit distances, and feed rates," said James. "We could have pushed the tools even harder in some areas, although we would probably need a machine with different kinematics as the test part was quite small."

The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team confirms that the 25% cycle-time saving for the test part would translate financially, effectively reducing the cost for spindle time by the same percentage. With costs for labour, raw materials and energy currently very high, reducing component cycle times is today more important than ever.

The potential

"The ability to machine ten parts in a day instead of eight, for example, would be huge for us," stated Robert. "Moreover, if we scale-up the savings achieved on the trial part to some of our large components with long cycle times, the savings would escalate dramatically. One of our longest-running parts requires 125 hours. Based on the trial, we could likely save around 30-40 hours on this component by using Force. That's a lot of extra capacity and cost savings."

Force calculates optimal feed rates by analysing factors that include tool geometry and parameters, material characteristics and cutting material, detailed cutting edge geometry and VERICUT Smart Part Technology. The software calculates cutting conditions using specific material characteristics, taking into account the strength of the material and the effects of friction and temperature.

However, Force is about far more than cycle time savings alone. Cut-by-cut analysis of the interaction between the tool edge and workpiece material means the software is adept at predicting tool wear, delivering significant tool life gains in many applications.

"Although the trial part was aluminium, we machine around 25-30% of our components from titanium," said James. "Using Force on these parts would likely extend tool life and generate savings."

VERICUT Force offers a number of key tools that help visualise and identify areas with the biggest opportunity for savings in both cycle time and tool wear. Force graphs, for example, help users see cutting conditions, excessive forces, machining rates, power/torque, chip strength, material removal, tool deflections, and feeds for the original and optimised programs.

Robert has the final word: "Although the use of VERICUT Force is just a trial at present, it's in our mind. We see it as a highly effective production engineering tool."

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IWC's New High-Speed, High-Tech Chronographs

Welcome to Dialed In, Esquire's regular column bringing you horological happenings and the most essential news from the watch world.

IWC's mastery of watches that fuse advanced timekeeping with interesting case materials is nowhere more evident than in Ceratanium, the mind-bending combination—in a single block case—of ceramic and titanium. It is that material that graces the case of a new, high-performance Pilot chronograph, released in November alongside a similar watch in titanium. Both are inspired by IWC's long-running partnership with automotive specialist Mercedes-AMG, which began way back in 2004. In 2013, it was extended to encompass the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, too.

The Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph 41 AMG—to give it its official moniker—comes in grade 5 titanium, a material that was pioneered by IWC itself as early as 1980, when the watchmaker released a mechanical chronograph made from the stuff under the Porsche Design brand. That came only after much experimentation in tooling capable of working the notoriously hard metal. But the advantages, chiefly the alluring color and the fact that titanium is up to 45 percent lighter than steel, were worth all the head-scratching. It's available on either a black rubber strap or a full titanium bracelet.

IWC Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph 41 AMG

IWC Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph 41 AMG

The Ceratanium version—in case the other name wasn't long enough—is dubbed the Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team. And here's where things get even more interesting. The proprietary alloy from which it's made was first developed for the 50th anniversary of the Aquatimer dive watch back in 2017 and it has trickled into production watches gradually since then. A fusion in the firing kiln of the unique properties of ceramic (hardness and scratch resistance) and titanium (lightness and robustness) also give it a dark (but not quite black) matte surface. The F1 version of these watches also has very subtle nods to Mercedes-AMG Petronas's team colors in some of the markings.

IWC Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team

IWC Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team

Both chronographs come with tachymeters engraved into their ceramic bezels, which is great. Frankly, you're not likely to use them in any serious manner, but it does fully flesh out the functional automotive vibe one would expect from watches inspired by Mercedes-AMG.

SAP And The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Join Forces To Drive Efficiency On And Off The Racetrack

(MENAFN- Wallis Public Relations) DUBAI, UAE — November 22, 2023 — As the UAE prepares to host the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) has announced a multiyear partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team starting in 2024. As an Official Team Partner, SAP is teaming up with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team to accelerate operational efficiency and unlock new data insights to deliver performance gains. SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition serves as the technology foundation for the team, enabling them to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud solutions from SAP can help inform and predict decisions, optimize resources and future-proof their IT infrastructure.

Efficiency is the cornerstone of success in Formula One. Therefore, mastering the cost-cap challenge and optimizing the team's complex supply chain are two areas of focus for this partnership. Formula One's cost cap restricts how much teams can spend each season, with severe penalties if exceeded. The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team plans to navigate this complex course by using the SAP S/4HANA Finance solution to allocate, save and use resources more efficiently. With SAP Business AI technology embedded, the team can forecast costs, predict final budget needs, and optimize both the supply chain and stocked items. To run its state-of-the-art operation, the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team is looking forward to leveraging SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition for a secure and future-proof cloud environment. The team can also take advantage of SAP Build solutions and SAP Business Technology Platform to implement a transparent, intelligent enterprise architecture – bringing together a single view of data and systems from various sources across the organization. Doing so can lead to shorter lead times for critical car components, helping ensure a seamless flow of parts during race weekends.

"Formula One is one of the most technologically innovative sports in the world, where incremental gains yield significant results. Given the extreme conditions under which Formula One teams operate, motorsports provide a global platform to showcase skill and engineering excellence," said Julia White, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE and chief marketing and solutions officer. "But beyond the race day performance, there's a lot going on behind the scenes. SAP is proud to partner with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team to make sure its operations are as fine-tuned as its cars."   This partnership has the potential to create a new blueprint for the automotive industry. Formula One is where latest innovations for the automotive industry are invented and premiered. Together, SAP and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team will deliver new innovations backed by Formula One insights that will go on to serve and shape the businesses of other SAP customers.

"We are delighted to announce SAP as an Official Team Partner of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team," said Toto Wolff, CEO and Team Principal, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. "We have a shared heritage and commitment to innovation and improvement, which will meaningfully contribute to our on-track performance. SAP is a global leader in its field, and we could not think of a better partner to help us improve our efficiencies in 2024 and beyond."Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP at @SAPNews.About the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team is the works team of Mercedes-AMG, competing at the pinnacle of motorsport – the FIA Formula One™ World Championship. Formula One is a sport like no other. Combining elite teamwork, cutting-edge technologies and innovation, high-performance management and exceptional driving skill, teams develop race cars capable of competing against their rivals in a high-octane environment that spans upwards of 20 races across five continents throughout each season.The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, based across Technology Centres at Brackley and Brixworth in the United Kingdom, brings together over 1,000 dedicated and determined people that design, develop, manufacture and race the cars driven by seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and Grand Prix winner, George Russell.Winning seven consecutive double Drivers' and Constructors' World Championships from 2014 to 2020 and securing a record-breaking eighth consecutive Constructors' Championship success in 2021, the Team is one of the most successful in the sport's history.Between returning as a Constructor in 2010 and the end of the 2022 season, the Mercedes-AMG works team has scored 116 wins, 264 podium finishes, 128 pole positions, 91 fastest laps and 54 one-two finishes from 259 race starts.

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