UMATEX Rosatom uses a RangeVision 3D scanner to create a sports body kit for a Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team motorcycle

Task: to create a sports fairing of a Kawasaki motorcycle with improved aerodynamic characteristics for racing
Solution: RangeVision Spectrum, ScanCenter NG
Summary: The racing bike was digitized with a professional RangeVision Spectrum 3D scanner. An accurate 3D model of the fairing, obtained as a result of scanning, was subjected to aerodynamic modeling. As a result, a composite fairing with enhanced aerodynamic characteristics was developed and produced. The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team used a composite body kit racing motorcycle at the Pirelli Italian Round of the World SBK Superbike World Championship in the spring of 2019 and won a brilliant victory on it.

A powerful engine does not always lead to success in racing. Sometimes a race is won by a less powerful motorcycle, but with the best aerodynamics. That is why teams prepare their iron horses thoroughly to participate in major competitions. The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team was no exception, planning to improve its performance at the next stage of the WorldSBK Superbike World Championship, which was held in Italy in May 2019.

To upgrade their sport bike, the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team chose a performer in the person of UMATEX Rosatom, which is a manufacturer of carbon fiber and products based on it. The company’s specialists were faced with the task of creating a sports motorcycle fairing with improved aerodynamic characteristics, low weight and high strength. Carbon fiber-based carbon fiber manufactured by UMATEX Rosatom was chosen as the material for the new fairing. The highest strength, rigidity, low weight of carbon fiber and exceptional aerodynamics of the parts make it possible to accelerate to speeds over 300 km per hour, and also allows for more efficient use of braking when cornering. All this gives the rider additional advantages on the track and increases his chances of success.

The first stage of work on the new body kit was a 3D scan of the motorcycle. The purpose of the scan was to obtain a high-quality 3D model for subsequent processing and modeling of the part. For this task, UMATEX Rosatom specialists chose the RangeVision Spectrum optical 3D scanner, which allows digitizing objects with a 3D resolution of up to 0.06 mm and an accuracy of up to 0.04 mm. This is more than enough to solve the problem. Spectrum has excellent capabilities for creating high-precision objects with high-quality texture capture. The 3D scanner is also light in weight and compact, which makes it easy to transport and quickly bring the scanner to readiness. Dmitry Suvorov, a specialist at UMATEX Rosatom, who is involved in this project, explained why they chose this scanner: "The quality and accuracy of the models created by the Spectrum scanner is really impressive. At the same time, the 3D scanner is lightweight, compact and easy to carry. This was also important to us, as we traveled from Russia to Italy to carry out the work." The Spectrum scanner was provided for this project by the manufacturer RangeVision.

The 3D scanning process was divided into several stages:

• gluing markers and spraying,
• scanning a motorcycle with a body kit,
• scanning a motorcycle with a body kit removed.

The sports fairing should match the appearance of the serial part, so first of all it was necessary to obtain the overall geometry of the object. To do this, the motorcycle was scanned in full. To get maximum data for further adjustments to the fairing model, the motorcycle was scanned again, but with the body kit removed. This allowed us to obtain information about the attachment points and joints of the part with other parts of the motorcycle.

The motorcycle is a large enough object to be digitized, with dimensions of about two meters in length. Therefore, in this situation, 3D scanning was performed using markers and spraying the surface with a special spray. This allows you to get better models and save time.

The next stage was 3D modeling and refinement of the object to the desired characteristics. The specialists were faced with the task of creating an object with the best aerodynamics, but at the same time as light as possible and with the necessary strength indicators. UMATEX Rosatom specialists have been working on a new fairing geometry so that the motorcycle can reach higher speeds than before. Special aerodynamic modeling algorithms were used to calculate the aerodynamic characteristics of the part during the design process.

After the final 3D model of the new body kit was ready, it was divided into separate elements to facilitate the production process and further installation.

As soon as the preparatory work was completed, it was necessary to turn the new detail into reality. To do this, UMATEX Rosatom specialists contacted PICASO 3D, which has extensive experience in the field of additive technologies and produces high-end 3D printers under its brand. The PICASO 3D company has carried out 3D printing of tooling from carbon-filled FORMAX material.

After that, the carbon fiber layers were placed in ready-made tooling molds and sent for heat treatment. The vacuum infusion method was used to impregnate the parts with reinforcing material, which makes it possible to improve the quality of the material and achieve a higher density of carbon fiber layers.

After assembling all the parts, the specialists received a new carbon body kit with improved characteristics. It remains to mount the fairing on the sport bike and test it in action.

During the installation, it turned out that the part fit perfectly both in the geometry of the body and in the mounting points, which proves the importance of using a 3D scanner in such projects.

A new carbon fiber fairing was installed on the motorcycle of the pilot of the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team on the eve of the next stage of the World SBK Superbike World Championship, which was held in Italy. The team’s driver came to the finish line with the best time in two out of two races, which was his first major victory at this level of competition!

After installing the composite body kit, it turned out that the motorcycle’s speed increased by 3−4 km per hour. The racer, in turn, noted that he really began to show better speeds on straight stretches. Thus, based on the achieved goals of the customer, we can talk about the effectiveness of the approach to creating parts, which includes 3D scanning, aerodynamic 3D modeling and the use of additive technologies.