Due to the requirements of the market, engine manufacturers and their suppliers must develop new products in a short lead time, with high quality, high reliability and lowest possible costs.
A method to obtain a short lead time for a complicated aluminum cylinder head is the design in 3 D CAD and the use of simultaneous engineering.
A practical example shows the design of a 16-valve cylinder head in 3 D CAD (Catia).
The cylinder head supplier received a CAD-tape with the main dimensions such as valve locations, shape of the combustion chamber and ports and location of the bolts.
A design team completed the cylinder head design in 3 D CAD in consideration of the needs for foundry technology, casting tool design and machining of the part.
Special casting tools for the prototyping were manufactured parallel to the cylinder head design.
It is shown, that by the use of 3 D CAD/CAM and simultaneous engineering the multitude of engineering tasks can be solved and prototypes delivered within 3 months.