Cast aluminium components stronger and lighter with AI design
AI software is driving the design of aluminium components used for various modes of transport that can be made almost 50 per cent lighter without compromising their strength.
Coventry-based casting specialist Sarginsons Industries has released the world-first designs which have taken an existing cast automotive subframe that was optimised for weight in 2022 and has reduced it from 28kg to 15kg.
The design shows where excess aluminium has been removed, thereby showing how the AI-driven software can simulate the varying mechanical properties of a part to put the right material in the right place.
Sarginsons said it is aiming to produce the first physical casting using this technology by the summer.
The designs are the early results of the Performance Integrated Vehicle Optimisation Technology project (PIVOT), which Sarginsons is leading with its partners after receiving a £6m matched grant from the Advanced Propulsion Centre and Innovate UK.
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In a statement, Gavin Shipley, technical director at Sarginsons, said: “The designs don’t just look extraordinary, but by being 50 per cent lighter, they are extraordinary.
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