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FEATURE CAD/SOFTWARE
Racing ahead with caR design
The CUPRA e-racer
In the racing world, it is essential that you improve the car you made the previous year. This is why Spanish manufacturer CUPRA is embracing PTC’s Creo CAD and Windchill PLM solutions
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panish automotive brand CUPRA has been using PTC solutions since 1998, and is now embracing the functionality of the
company’s Creo (CAD) and Windchill PLM solutions. Its approach is providing a production blueprint to support the firm’s electrification strategy and the development of its Extreme E and FIA ETCR. In fact the power of PTC technology has helped the manufacturer build the first ever 100% electric racecar.
gRoundbReaking solutions
PTC solutions are groundbreaking, explained Jaume Tarroja, head of Full Vehicle Design at CUPRA Racing. He said: “It changed the way we design. We increased our efficiency and changes were easier to implement. It also dramatically reduced the parts development and lead times and increased their quality. “We used to design the components in 2D and
then they were sent to be manufactured – with the consequent errors that could occur. Now we can view the car in 3D with all the components assembled. In fact, we can visualise the whole car on the computer screen.” The company also benefits from the ability to
modify the car without changing its design and within a full stable environment.
impRoving the design
The CUPRA Racing Team, who also use PTC’s PLM Windchill solution as its main information management system, has taken full advantage of Creo software, starting with top-down design providing a skeleton model to define
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the general structure of the vehicles. Engineers can now design and assemble
components with the additional benefit that, if a redesign or variation of the skeleton model takes places, these changes are automatically implemented to all components. Other benefits of the PTC technology include
Finite element parts simulation, which allows the engineer to simulate the stress on the components in a real-world environment, streamlining the creation of metal components and now being able to simulate the piping and cabling so they know that everything works well at the first attempt. All these design improvements have helped
CUPRA Racing achieve lighter parts, better results and economic savings – all while achieving higher performance from its vehicles. Paul Haimes, vice president
of Solutions Consulting at PTC, commented: “The CUPRA Racing roadmap includes new PTC Creo features that will increase its competitiveness. New modules to be implemented include IA- controlled generative design, optimised design for additive manufacturing, and behavioural modelling. Our CAD capabilities offer the client unmatched stability and precision levels when it
4 DESIGN SOLUTIONS SEPTEMBER 2022
comes to mechanical components.” Tarroja added that as the PTC design
tools have evolved along with the industry, this has increased CUPRA’s possibilities for improvement, including reducing the time to market of a new vehicle by more than 20%.’ He concluded: “At the same time, access to
the latest CAD and PLM solutions have helped decrease the weight of the components and achieve part cost reduction of about 15% – thanks in part to the superior sheet-metal capabilities in Creo.”
PTC
www.ptc.com
The design tools have helped reduce time to market of a new vehicle by more than 20%
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