“Short response times and flexibility are deciding factors for success in the field of motor sports”, says Frank Jahn, responsible for the Porsche team for component production. For this reason, in parallel to the numerous cooperations with first class suppliers, an in-house production has also been set up. The challenge for this project has been enormous: “We had to invest here with regard to technology as well as personnel.”
The development of an in-house component production is of course also a direct result of the cooperation with DMG MORI. As premium sponsor and technology partner of the Porsche Team, the machine manufacturer provides comprehensive know-how in the field of CNC technology. As the machining centres and lathes have already been used for many years in sophisticated industries like automotive engineering, the aerospace industry as well as – not least – motor sports, DMG MORI is very familiar with the high expectations. Usually, it is highly complex components that need to be available within the shortest possible time and with the highest quality.
With a CTX beta 800 and a DMU 65 monoBLOCK, Porsche Motorsport is optimally equipped to resolve any production tasks quickly and reliably. “The combination of the versatile CTX beta 800 – it is equipped amongst others with a Y-axis and an oil mist circuit breaker – and the 5-axis DMU 65 monoBLOCK allows us complete freedom with regard to production”, underlines the operator. The work areas are sufficiently big for the respective components and the performance of both machines impresses in the area of speed as well as on quality level.
One highlight of component production is the DMG MORI process chain. It includes constructing and programming with Siemens NX CAD/CAM, followed by a 1:1 simulation of the NC program in the DMG MORI Virtual Machine. “The Siemens NX CAM provides the required programming strategy for even the most complex machining operation. And we check feasibility and ensure 100% collision safety with the virtual machine”, says Frank Jahn when explaining the investment in the software solution. He sees an analogy to the 24 hour race of Le Mans, where Porsche could recently celebrate an impressive double victory: “We often need to deliver top results in the form of high-quality components within 24 hours as well.” Which is why the complex components must be machined error-free at the first attempt.