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Build car using cad2/28/2024 ![]() Practically we didn’t build any prototype!”Įven the Frigerio brothers were deeply satisfied. Once we validated the final configuration, we could build confidently: the first frame was already perfect. Everyone involved in the Effeffe Berlinetta adventure could see on screen the design development in later revisions, giving opinions and advice through the simulation. Not purely aesthetic variants, but functional: overall dimensions, mechanisms movement, collisions, component optimization and assembly techniques. The real added value here isn’t just the ability to design tubes to be cut and welded, but rather the fact that we could examine, without wasting time, dozens of alternative solutions, all virtual, without spending resources or money. “With the money spent to build physical prototypes consuming the budget, not to mention the enormous increase of time, we’d still be struggling with the first evaluations. “Without the digital prototyping, this project would never have taken off,” says Sirtori. A 3D printer from Stratasys was also used to create the double-f logo (made in resin and chrome) mounted on the radiator grill of the car.ĭigital prototyping played a key role in this recreation of a classic car. Thanks to mathematics imported into SOLIDWORKS, the tubular frame was also digitized, so the workshop could take advantage of CNC-bending machines, obtaining consistent results in each model. Solid Energy performed a complete 3D scan of the Effeffe Berlinetta to capture its geometry inside the CAD model, correcting the inevitable asymmetry and the imperfections typical of any manual work. Here Solid Energy, a company that specializes in reverse engineering, came to help. Though it was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, it would be problematic to replicate. The vehicle’s body was designed directly by the Frigerio brothers and then smoothed, filled and painted. ![]() “The coachwork was entirely built by hand over the completed frame by a panel-beater, an artist who “set” thin aluminum sheets (0.8 mm) on a lightweight tube frame.” “Thanks to this “exercise,” we were able to choose the best place for exhausts, where to put the throttle control, modifying and fixing, for example, the clutch housing,” said Sirtori. All SOLIDWORKS kinematics algorithms were used to verify all dimensions and volumes. After the first engine was acquired on the second-hand market, SolidWorldtechnicians redesigned it entirely in SOLIDWORKS from scratch, complete with carburetors, camshafts, gears, pulleys, valves and pistons. The Effeffe Berlinetta’s engine is an update of the world-renowned Alfa Romeo Giulia’s. A differential gear was installed, bought in the UK where there’s a thriving market for racing components, built today but based on the originals. However, it was significantly modified in the joints to the frame. The design proceeded with the study and the adaptation of the car forecarriage via a sheet metal box the rear axle uses the rigid rear bridge (typical of early ‘60s Alfas). ![]() SOLIDWORKS allowed us to produce almost automatically the bill of materials and cutting, the drawings to be delivered for laser cutting, and the outline for the bending lines.” Cutting and bending of pipes is executed by CNC machines. SOLIDWORKS proved to be a perfect setting for all operations. Mistakes are eliminated and every frame can be identical. ![]() On the plates we arranged suitable reference to facilitate the welding process: the welder puts the platelets in place, wedging them with references on tubes. “The whole frame is braced with “handkerchiefs” joints to ensure rigidity and sheet metal reinforcement. “We tried to standardize as much as possible the tube section focusing on the simplest possible design,” Sirtori revealed. Read Part I here to learn about the team and their inspiration for building high-performance machines. The vehicle was brought to life by a team of design and engineering enthusiasts using SOLIDWORKS to build their dream car. The Effeffe Berlinetta is a throwback Italian sportscar paying homage to the classic years of Ferrari, Osca, Maserati, Stanguellini, Siata, Moretti and others.
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