Ed Huntress wrote:
wrote in message
...
Here's a nice little video showing casting, machining, and assembly of
Ferrari auto engines. That casting section of the plant looks to be
the cleanest foundry operation I have ever seen. Anybody else ever
seen such a clean foundry?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0e1_1298514486

Dave

This is not a put-up job for the video. Ferrari's casting and machining
operations have been industry standards at least since the 1960s.

Back in the late '80s, one of my clients was Mandelli, the machine tool
company that pioneered advanced machining centers (they used DEC
minicomputers for CNCs). Ferrari was their showcase customer, not just
because of the name recognition but also because Ferrari ran some of the
most advanced flexible machining cells in the world. I watched hours of
video of their operations then, including the foundry, and it was really
impressive. At that point I'd spent over 12 years reporting on metalworking
manufacturing and had visited at least 30 foundries around the US, Germany,
and Japan, including Ford, GM, and Toyota. I never saw anything quite like
the Ferrari operation. The pride of those workers was obvious. Old Enzo
couldn't stand finishing second at anything.


So good to see you posting again.Ed!!

Weve a foundry near here, in an old victorian building, they do ali,
bonze, and iron. Mostly for the restoration and steam repair folk.
They keep their ali melts fluid all the time as its cheaper than
letting them cool off and re heat.
They are surviving ,just, because they speciallise in one offs etc.

Re the ferrai video, it shows the crankshafts in the forged? state, Or
were they cast steel?
Liquid nitrogen cooled valve inserts, and one man assembles each engine.

however, any running in? on the dynamometer test bed? to 7500 rpm?
Note very short stroke to bore ratio.
Only down side cam belt not chain, but the cam belt will have a lot
less innertia.
Plastic cam belts are the curse of modern engines.
Ted