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Www Americanmachinist Com Content Site304 Articles 05 01 2005 Csbks0300png 00000002542
Www Americanmachinist Com Content Site304 Articles 05 01 2005 Csbks0300png 00000002542
Www Americanmachinist Com Content Site304 Articles 05 01 2005 Csbks0300png 00000002542
Www Americanmachinist Com Content Site304 Articles 05 01 2005 Csbks0300png 00000002542

Laser tracking for the track

May 1, 2005
Like all Formula 1 racing teams, the Renault F1 Team develops secret designs that hopefully make their car quicker than the competition. To test these designs, the team sets up cars in a wind-tunnel facility using laser-tracking systems that reduce setup

The Renault FI Team relies on Leica lasertracking systems when designing its racecars, such as the one driven by Giancarlo Fisichella.

Like all Formula 1 racing teams, the Renault F1 Team develops secret designs that hopefully make their car quicker than the competition. To test these designs, the team sets up cars in a wind-tunnel facility using laser-tracking systems that reduce setup time by 55% while increasing efficiency and precise repeatability.

Renault F1 has two Leica LTD800 laser-tracking systems with integrated T-Products. It uses one tracker in wind-tunnel testing and the other to measure large manufactured components and complete legality checks on finished race vehicles, such as the team's R25.

With the system, the team checked the first R25, measuring everything on the car in one setup. This saved time when installing the model, which translated into extra time for performance development.

The laser trackers and wireless, ultralight T-Probe and T-Scan products combine for portable coordinate measuring, which lets engineers capture measurements with precision, speed, and flexibility in demanding industrial environments.

"With commonality of CAD packages and real-time CAD comparisons, our engineers measure and verify any part in any geometrical position around a model. The Leica system provides us with an all-in-one tool," says Micky Nolan, Renault F1 Team's wind-tunnel- facility manager.

T-Probes are shock resistant, insensitive to temperature changes, and work for handheld rapid measuring of small and large objects within a 98.425-ft volume. T-Scans are insensitive to all surfaces and require no surface prepping. They are well-suited for rapid, noncontact digitization of large objects at a rate of 7,000 points/sec.

Leica Geosystems AG, Metrology Division
Norcross, Ga.
leica-geosystems.com