• February 5, 2023
  • Machine Tools
  • Cutting Tools
  • Software
  • Metrology
  • Accessories
  • Mechatronics
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • REGISTER
  • SIGN IN
www.cnctimes.com logo
  • News
  • CT+
  • Webinar
  • Knowledge Center
    • INDUSTRY UPDATES
    • INTERVIEWS
    • VIDEOS
    • TECHNICAL ARTICLES
    • CASE STUDIES
    • PRODUCT SHOWCASE
    • BLOGS
    • SUCCESS STORIES
    • NEWSLETTERS
  • Start Your Subscription
  • Register
  • Sign in

Information

Please login to give the feedback.

Subscription Plans

Subscription Type
Duration
Months
News
Articles
Blogs
Case Studies
Videos
Product Updates
Webinar
Amount
CT
Lifetime
Lifetime
Full Access
Limited Access
Full Access
Limited Access
Limited Access
Limited Access
No Discount
INR 0.00
CT+
6 Months
6 Months
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
5% Discount
INR 599.00
CT+
Annual
12 Months
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
10% Discount
INR 999.00

Subscription Plans

Subscription Type
Duration
Months
News
Articles
Blogs
Case Studies
Videos
Product Updates
Webinar
Amount
CT
Lifetime
Lifetime
Full Access
Limited Access
Full Access
Limited Access
Limited Access
Limited Access
No Discount
INR 0.00
CT+
6 Months
6 Months
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
5% Discount
INR 599.00
CT+
Annual
12 Months
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
Full Access
10% Discount
INR 999.00
Successfully registered. Please check your email to activate account.

Registration
  • Sign In



Sorry Captcha Unsuccessful!!

Sign In


OR
If your not registered user first Register
  1. Home
  2. Case Studies
  3. British Cycling races ahead with Renishaw additive manufacturing

British Cycling races ahead with Renishaw additive manufacturing

29 March, 2022
  • Tweet
  • share via email
Your comment has been posted.
We have sent you a verification email. To verify, just follow the link in the message.
Some technical error. Please try again.

Track cycling is a fast-paced sport, with racers reaching speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. Racers are often less than a second apart, so racing teams require high quality, lightweight and aerodynamic bikes to give them a competitive edge. When Hope Technology and Lotus Engineering began developing an innovative, lightweight track bike for the Great Britain Olympic cycling team, British Cycling approached global engineering technologies company, Renishaw, for its AM expertise.

British Cycling is the national governing body in Great Britain for cycling, as recognised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). It includes eight disciplines of cycling - BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing, Cross Country Mountain Bike, Downhill Mountain Bike, Cyclo-cross, Road and Track, and Cycle Speedway. The track event includes 21 athletes who race around a 250-metre Olympic velodrome track, with banks of varying degrees that can rise to around 42 degrees, enabling them to maintain high speeds.

Aerodynamics is a significant factor when engineering bikes for track racing. Aerodynamic bikes reduce the power that the cyclists have to exert to remain at a constant or increasing speed, by decreasing the drag force and allowing the air to flow smoothly over the front of the cyclist and bike. Olympic cycling athletes can reach speeds of around 60 miles per hour when racing in the velodrome, which drastically increases the air resistance they experience.

Lotus Engineering, designers of the iconic 108 and 110 bikes ridden by Olympic gold medallist, Chris Boardman, in the 1990s, collaborated with cycling component manufacturer, Hope Technology, to build the HB.T. As part of the project, Lotus and Hope wanted to improve the bike's speed to help the Great Britain Cycling Team improve its performances and push for medals.

When you do something new and brave you have lots of difficulties to overcome and that is where Renishaw has been fantastic. The Renishaw team has worked with the engineers to do the refinement at break-neck speed, in the past it would take months to go from the drawing board to a piece that you could try in the test rig or in the velodrome and now we can do it in weeks.

Challenge

Technology made constant adaptations during the design phase. Each design change needed to be submitted to the UCI, creating a time lag that meant there was not enough time to produce moulds for the carbon fibre frames, handlebars and forks. As a result, small design changes could take months to manufacture and test when using carbon fibre manufacturing methods.

Most velodrome bikes have carbon handlebars to help improve aerodynamics, reduce weight, dampen vibrations and increase stiffness to maximise handling precision. To produce carbon handlebars, manufacturers need to create a mould to the shape of the current design and then start manufacturing the handlebars. Small changes to the design mean this process has to be repeated multiple times before any parts are manufactured, increasing the time lag from design change to testing.

Solution

Through British Cycling, Lotus Engineering approached Renishaw during the design for manufacturing phase. Lotus Engineering needed metal additive manufacturing support to improve the bike handlebar performance because this method can build lighter components than traditional manufacturing methods.

Before undertaking this project with the Great Britain Cycling Team, Renishaw already had significant experience in the use of 3D printing for bicycle manufacture. It has worked closely with extreme mountain bike manufacturer, Atherton; produced components for the ARION4 project team that achieved the male and female world record speeds for hand cycling in 2018; and in 2013 produced the world's first metal 3D printed bike frame for mountain bike manufacturer, Empire Cycles, an achievement that was recognised by Guinness World Records.

Renishaw joined the Olympic track bike project in 2019 and became involved in the design for manufacture stage, explained Ben Collins Design/Development Engineer at Renishaw. By implementing additive manufacturing (AM) into the design and prototyping stage, our team was able to quickly manufacture the design changes, so the aerodynamic capabilities of the design could be tested. Ensuring the design was light, geometrically correct and strong enough to endure the strain from the riders was a constant balancing act, so many iterations were created to find the ideal balance.

Additive manufacturing does not require any bespoke tooling, such as casting moulds, which are specific to each job, continued Collins. During the prototyping stage, we are creating one-off batches, which can be carried out much faster by using AM technology, compared to more traditional casting methods.

The development of the new track bike reflects our aspiration to be the world leaders in innovation and aerodynamics. It has been an impressive collaborative effort with our partners to produce a research-backed and courageously innovative track bike.

Results

Renishaw initially used its AM expertise to rapidly produce plastic and metal prototype parts to undertake aerodynamic testing of the new design and ensure that parts were light, geometrically correct and strong enough to endure the strain from riders. After proof of concept, the company then used its own RenAM 500Q AM systems to additively manufacture aluminium and titanium parts, including handlebars, for the competition bikes, with parts customised for individual athletes.

Renishaw helped Lotus and Hope use AM to produce a carbon fibre design for the bike's frame that improved its aerodynamics, such as a fork with a flared profile to minimise drag. Renishaw's engineering and AM knowledge also allowed Hope and Lotus to achieve a speedy production process with an improved design turnaround.

“The development of the new track bike reflects our aspiration to be the world leaders in innovation and aerodynamics,” commented Stephen Park OBE, Performance Director for the Great Britain Cycling Team. “It has been an impressive collaborative effort with our partners to produce a research-backed and courageously innovative track bike.”

“The world is embracing the rapid development cycle and additive manufacturing is probably the biggest single step,” commented Tony Purnell, former Head of Technology for the Great Britain Cycling Team.

“It's a dream team of engineering prowess. Hope Technology brings high quality manufacturing standards and Lotus Engineering is renowned for lightweight design and outstanding aerodynamic efficiency,” continued Purnell. “Both supported and advised by additive manufacturing experts Renishaw, who has ensured that Lotus and Hope have access to the most modern and fastest turnaround process from design to usable pieces.”

“Your bike just becomes an extension of your body, and you get used to how it feels and how it sounds. It's unusual that you get on a completely different bike and straight away it feels better,” commented Ed Clancy OBE, Triple Olympic Cycling Gold Medalist.

“It was exciting to see Renishaw's additive manufacturing expertise play a pivotal part in Great Britain's push for Olympic gold medals at Tokyo,” explained Ben Collins, Renishaw's AM Design/Development Engineer. “The team won three gold medals, three silver and one bronze, which was a brilliant achievement for the cyclists and a great showcase for the benefits of additive manufacturing.”

At Tokyo 2020, the HB.T bikes also helped to make British Olympic history. Laura Kenny became the most successful British female Olympian of all time after winning a gold medal in the Madison with Katie Archibald, and silver medal in the women's team pursuit. Jason Kenny also became Britain's most successful Olympian ever, winning gold in the men's keirin and silver in the men's team sprint.

https://www.renishaw.com/en/british-cycling-races-ahead-with-renishaw-additive-manufacturing--47303

  • Follow @CNCTimes

Captcha is required.
Sorry Captcha Unsuccessful!!

Latest Case Studies

  • 31 March, 2022

    3D Printing for electric vehicles

  • 24 March, 2022

    SolidCAM: Meets the Need for Automation

  • 24 March, 2022

    iMachining: for your speed needs

  • 23 March, 2022

    TOOLTRONIC makes milling-turning centre an all-rounder

  • 21 March, 2022

    Inspection of forged components for shape and dimensional accuracy

  • 10 March, 2022

    eMobility: Measuring technology from ZEISS provides the key for series production

  • 09 March, 2022

    Sanco adapts to CADMOULD for optimizing Injection Molding Process

  • 03 August, 2020

    Automated production line for FFP3 filters up and running after just eleven days with the help of SCHUNK

  • 07 January, 2020

    In-house metrology increases machine tool uptime by 20%

  • 16 December, 2019

    Lifting Devices Provider Cyrus Designs 20% Faster with ZW3D

  • 16 December, 2019

    Khodiyar Industries Chose ZW3D to Speed up Packaging Machine Production

  • 16 December, 2019

    In-house metrology increases machine tool uptime by 20%

  • 19 August, 2019

    Automated workpiece set-up boosts forestry equipment manufacture

  • 30 July, 2019

    Laser interferometer error-proofs linear scale calibration

  • 08 July, 2019

    Improving speed and reducing cost with Renishaw additive manufacturing

  • 04 June, 2019

    Venturing into metal additive manufacturing

  • 13 May, 2019

    Renishaw Equatorâ„¢ gauge enables production growth at major aerospace manufacturer

  • 08 April, 2019

    50% faster turbine blade inspection

  • 08 April, 2019

    FARO® QuantumS ScanArm: Executing the Work of Two Measurement Devices

  • 04 April, 2019

    Laser interferometry assures spherical lens quality

  • 01 April, 2019

    Why The World's Third Largest Motorcycle Manufacturer Opted For Universal Robots

Previous Next

Related Case Studies

  • 16 June, 2020

    Equator gauging system leads to 30% increase in manufacturing capacity

    Category: Metrology
  • 12 March, 2019

    BLUM touch probes on Strama-MPS

    Category: Metrology
  • 18 December, 2018

    Measurement of free-form surfaces made easy

    Category: Metrology
  • 14 December, 2018

    A Measuring Tool System That Modified the Concept of Machinery

    Category: Metrology
  • 24 October, 2017

    570,000 individual measurement values per driveshaft

    Category: Metrology
  • 24 October, 2017

    Renishaw technology helps Breton calibrate its in-house machinery and control the quality of its output

    Category: Metrology
  • 24 October, 2017

    Ballbar diagnostics aid airframe manufacture

    Category: Metrology
  • 26 September, 2017

    Making time for Holthinrichs Watches: Renishaw Case Study

    Category: Metrology

TESTIMONIALS VIEW MORE

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2019-11-19 17:57:22We would like to express our sincere appreciation for your service to us.You have provided us best marketing platform through CNCTime...

Mr.Adil Atar, Ass.Mng.Technical Sales & Service: Precision Machinekraft

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2016-10-21 09:00:00Dedication and determination is key to success and CNC Times team is evident to it - FARO Business Technologies (I) Pvt Ltd

Ms. Amrita Gokhale , FARO Business Technologies

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2016-08-25 00:00:00Seminar was really very good, please let us know about future seminars. we would like to attend the seminar on "Machining of the mate...

Roshan Deshmukh, Design Engineer - Ashvini Magnets Private Limited

FOLLOW US

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

    Machine Tools

    • CNC Lathe
    • Boring Machines
    • Drilling Machines
    • Spark Erosion
    • Wire Cut
    • Vertical Machining Centers - VMC
    • Horizontal Machining Centers - HMC
    • Grinding Machines
    • Gear Cutting Machines
    • Additive Manufacturing - RP
    • Multi-Axis Machines
    • Multi-Tasking Machines
    • Welding Machines
    • Presses
    • Laser Cutting
    • Others
    • IIoT

    Metrology

    • CMM
    • VMM ( Vision Measuring Machines )
    • PCMM ( Portable CMM )
    • Measuring Instruments
    • Probing Technology
    • 3D Scanners
    • Roundness Measurement
    • Surface Roughness Measurement
    • Contour Measuring Machines
    • Others

    Accessories

    • Workholding
    • Toolholders
    • Spindles
    • Coolants
    • Others

    Software

    • CAD
    • CAM
    • CAE
    • ERP
    • Inspection Software
    • Reverse Engineering Software
    • MES
    • Others

    Mechatronics

    • Robotics
    • Automation
    • CNC Controllers
    • Others

    Cutting Tools

    • Turning Tools
    • Milling Tools
    • Grinding Wheels
    • Drilling
    • Others

INDUSTRY VERTICALS

  • General
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Healthcare
  • Healthcare Engineering
  • FMCG
  • Consumer Durable
  • Defence
  • Electronics
  • Oil & Gas
  • Heritage
  • Heavy Engineering
  • Die & Mold
  • Plastic
  • Footwear
  • Jobshop

PROFILE

  • About us
  • Contact us

Terms of use

  • Privacy Policy
  • Payment Policy
  • Refund Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Follow us on:

Download CNCTimes App:

Play Store
2023 © www.cnctimes.com  | Payment Policy   |   Terms and Conditions
Developed & Maintained by Deven Infotech