Spud
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2006
- Location
- Brookfield, Wisconsin
The shop has rebuilt in-house some of the machines they use.
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Video - Machining of forged connecting rods for Koenigsegg.
- Thread starter Spud
- Start date
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The shop has rebuilt in-house some of the machines they use.
Milland
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Location
- Hillsboro, New Hampshire
It's interesting how massive the blanks they start with are. I'd have figured that for as fancy as an 'Egg is, they'd have something closer to net shape so the advantaged of forged grain flow is optimized.
standardparts
Diamond
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2019
Just a guess but the one forging is probably used for many different lengths and rod journal sizes and for different customers(?)
Hard to tell if they make their own rods or if 'autoverdi' has ties them---"We have our own forging tools to create oversized work pieces"
Rods | Auto Verdi Racing Pumps & Rods
cyanidekid
Titanium
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2016
- Location
- Brooklyn NYC
yes, I too noticed that... BUT...the Koenigsegg is a very, very expensive, low, low volume street car.
the advantage from a more optimized rod forging, which could possibly allow a 5% decrease in weight, is not going to have any appreciable benefit. these are not operated at race speeds for hours on end. the extra cost of custom forging dies would be a pointless waste, so a wise engineering choice I think. that cost can be put into things that matter to the success of a supercar, like the interior, fit and finish, and marketing.
that sort of mistaken priority is exactly why so many supercars built by successful racing engineers totally failed in the marketplace.
Now in top race engines for F1... 5% on a rod, that can mean the difference between success and failure, and you are not trading off with the quality of the leather...
standardparts
Diamond
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2019
Looking at the rod again, I'd say your spot on. Must be sort of a near net forging?yes, I too noticed that... BUT...the Koenigsegg is a very, very expensive, low, low volume street car.
the advantage from a more optimized rod forging, which could possibly allow a 5% decrease in weight, is not going to have any appreciable benefit. these are not operated at race speeds for hours on end. the extra cost of custom forging dies would be a pointless waste, so a wise engineering choice I think. that cost can be put into things that matter to the success of a supercar, like the interior, fit and finish, and marketing.
that sort of mistaken priority is exactly why so many supercars built by successful racing engineers totally failed in the marketplace.
Now in top race engines for F1... 5% on a rod, that can mean the difference between success and failure, and you are not trading off with the quality of the leather...
Milland
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Location
- Hillsboro, New Hampshire
If you're looking at the finished rod, I'm pretty sure that's made from the big blanks. The "forge-like" finish is from the shot blasting they do at the end (which also helps a bit with reducing fatigue failure).
cyanidekid
Titanium
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2016
- Location
- Brooklyn NYC
I think standardparts is actually saying the forging is "not so near net". he's well aware the shot blast isn't a forge finish ( "near gross" maybe?..
and S-B helps a LOT with the fatigue resistance).
Spud
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2006
- Location
- Brookfield, Wisconsin
When I think of contemporary engineering / mechanical genius I think of Christian Von Koenigsegg, because he wasn't part of some big conglomerate or established automaker; just one guy and his small team.Yet he built a supercar to rival and surpass established supercar makers.
Gordon Murray is another such genius though he had more resources and a long history of auto racing; still the McLaren F1 is possibly the greatest car ever made and in a league of its own, and McLaren doesn't have the resources of VW, Ferrari, Ford, Toyota etc..
Gordon Murray is another such genius though he had more resources and a long history of auto racing; still the McLaren F1 is possibly the greatest car ever made and in a league of its own, and McLaren doesn't have the resources of VW, Ferrari, Ford, Toyota etc..
standardparts
Diamond
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2019
What's the deal with the big end? Not split for traditional bearing inserts, or is that an unfinished rod?
And yeah I am aware of shot blasting/stress relief---unless of course it has been replaced by something new.
Man....years ago so much time spent polishing all the parts that moved in the quest to eliminate failure. Sure was pretty.
Spud
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2006
- Location
- Brookfield, Wisconsin
Anyone know what brand the green surface grinder is?
Peter S
Diamond
- Joined
- May 6, 2002
- Location
- Auckland, New Zealand
I wondered the same thing and did a bit of pausing...I reckon it is Danobat (Spain), same as the nearby internal grinder. Model looks like ???1200.
A "Flat Grinder" in Sweden apparently.
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Spud
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2006
- Location
- Brookfield, Wisconsin
Certainly looks like the below Danobat
Hydraulic Surface Grinder Machine DANOBAT mod. RTC-800 Used machines - Exapro
For sale used Danobat RTC-800 available in Poland (PL), find used Grinding machines - surface grinders on www.exapro.com
www.exapro.com
Peter S
Diamond
- Joined
- May 6, 2002
- Location
- Auckland, New Zealand
I recall seeing a larger model here in Auckland in 2016, "Snow-Danobat RT 2500". It was being auctioned due to company closure.
CarbideBob
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2007
- Location
- Flushing/Flint, Michigan
So much is missing here. Perhaps the important parts are secret.
Bob
Peter S
Diamond
- Joined
- May 6, 2002
- Location
- Auckland, New Zealand
I'm not sure which rod you're referring to, but if it's for the Mercury V6 two stroke motor, it might be a built-up crankshaft using one-piece rods? Just a wild guess as I don't know anything about these engines.
The shop owner mentions making a lot of rods for Mercury two strokes.
Edit: my guess was wrong - looks like the Mercury engine rods have a bolted-on cap.
But I did find some con rods advertised as "forged & cracked". Not sure how bearing shells are held in a cracked rod end. I think I have seen 'cracked' rods using roller bearings.
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standardparts
Diamond
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2019
After putting my glasses on and looking at pic on the vid...the big end is indeed split.
As Bob posted 'so much is missing' as far as details go.
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Orange Vise
Titanium
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2012
- Location
- California
Enjoyable shop tour. Thanks for posting.
This guy lives and breathes high performance IC engines. His machining techniques are pretty old school - multiple dedicated 3-axis fixtures in lieu of multiaxis, big inserted cutters with slow toolpaths, etc.
Doesn't matter though. Machining is just one of many steps in his manufacturing process, and he's almost completely vertically integrated (looks like he was 100% vertically integrated until he shut down his forging company), and his expertise and passion in IC engines makes him a true one-stop shop. Not only can he build the entire conrod from start to finish, but he knows what he's looking every step of the way, allowing him to identify defects that others might not. It's not surprising that a company like Koenigsegg, with a virtually unlimited budget, would choose him over others.
This guy lives and breathes high performance IC engines. His machining techniques are pretty old school - multiple dedicated 3-axis fixtures in lieu of multiaxis, big inserted cutters with slow toolpaths, etc.
Doesn't matter though. Machining is just one of many steps in his manufacturing process, and he's almost completely vertically integrated (looks like he was 100% vertically integrated until he shut down his forging company), and his expertise and passion in IC engines makes him a true one-stop shop. Not only can he build the entire conrod from start to finish, but he knows what he's looking every step of the way, allowing him to identify defects that others might not. It's not surprising that a company like Koenigsegg, with a virtually unlimited budget, would choose him over others.
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Terry Keeley
Stainless
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2005
- Location
- Toronto, Canada eh!
Check out what's under the GP hydroplane at 18:30:
eKretz
Diamond; Mod Squad
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2005
- Location
- Northwest Indiana, USA
The forging doesn't need to be extremely near net to take advantage of that process as far as I'm aware. The grain lines will follow the forged shape whether they machine some of the material away or not. And the owner of the shop mentioned flat grinding the mating surfaces of the rods and caps in the video. Pretty cool shop.
I've got a book about Ferrari F1 car tech that was published around 15 years ago about the year 2000 Ferrari V10 car, it has some fantastic photos of the internal engine and transmission components. It is amazing to see some of what they did to get to the minimum possible weight but keep sufficient strength. For instance, the oil passage leading from the big end of the rod to the small end is clearly visible in the beam of the rods, which are forged titanium. They machined down around the oil passage to leave minimum necessary wall thickness.
I forget what they mentioned as the wall thickness of the transmission housing but it's an unbelievably small number as I recall. Something like under 1/16" - seems like it would be impossible with 800+ HP and 18,000 RPM. Those housings had been fabricated from 24 individual pieces of titanium and welded until they made the switch to investment casting in ~2002.
I've got a book about Ferrari F1 car tech that was published around 15 years ago about the year 2000 Ferrari V10 car, it has some fantastic photos of the internal engine and transmission components. It is amazing to see some of what they did to get to the minimum possible weight but keep sufficient strength. For instance, the oil passage leading from the big end of the rod to the small end is clearly visible in the beam of the rods, which are forged titanium. They machined down around the oil passage to leave minimum necessary wall thickness.
I forget what they mentioned as the wall thickness of the transmission housing but it's an unbelievably small number as I recall. Something like under 1/16" - seems like it would be impossible with 800+ HP and 18,000 RPM. Those housings had been fabricated from 24 individual pieces of titanium and welded until they made the switch to investment casting in ~2002.
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