NASCAR WCUP: Okuma Technology Center Opens at Richard Childress Racing
6 October 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
WELCOME, N.C.-- Motorsports technology has moved to the
next
level with the establishment of the Okuma Technology Center at the Richard
Childress Racing (RCR) complex.
Through it's partnership with Okuma America Corp., a world leader in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine tool technology based in Charlotte, N.C., and already established computer technology partners Hewlett-Packard (HP), Parametric Technology Corp. (PTC), and Raindrop Geomagic, RCR will have the largest collection of high-level machining equipment in all of motorsports under one roof.
The Okuma Technology Center
The Okuma Technology Center will be housed in an 8,000 square-foot building previously used as RCR's fabrication shop. Located in the building will be the RCR engineering department and the highly skilled technicians who will work on the following Okuma machinery: an Okuma MA-60HB, a horizontal five-axis machine center that will allow RCR to machine engine blocks, cylinder heads and other big pieces; an Okuma MC-V4020, three-axis machining center; an Okuma MX-55VA vertical machining center for pistons, valve releases and the like; a CNC cam grinder and CNC piston lathe; and the LU15, used for shaft and axel work.
"The partnership struck with Okuma will fortify RCR with machinery to produce more of our own parts and pieces for our races cars, specifically racing engine parts and components but also some chassis pieces," said Lenny Batycki, vice president of operations at RCR. "It will allow us to design better parts and pieces while controlling the quality of manufacture. We're going to be upgrading our cylinder head, blocks and piston machining, along with the pieces we already manufacture, including valve covers, motor plates, motor brackets."
The partnership came about as a three-year process. RCR recognized that engineering and technology were the wave of the future in NASCAR racing so it started employing more and more engineers on a regular basis. The staff is now at a level, with eight engineers on-site, that they understand racing and the RCR philosophy. They moved into getting support from HP, PTC, and Raindrop Geomagic to start the basic design work on components that have been on our older CNC equipment since 1995. It began developing and learning those processes and, as time went on, realized a need for more tooling and machines.
"In our dealings with other racing teams, not only in the United States but worldwide, nobody will have that collection of equipment under one roof," said Larry Schwartz, executive vice president and chief operating officer. "I've never heard of anyone with this level of equipment under one roof anywhere. No one in motorsports will have the capability that RCR will have with the complexity of parts that will be manufactured."
HP has provided computer and printing hardware which the RCR engineers will use to create CAD/CAM designs and have them printed on large-format printer, which allows them to made adjustments during the design process. The design process will be aided two software companies, Parametrics Technology Corp. (PTC), which will have its CAD/CAM ware and Raindrop Geomagic with its Studio 3.0, which will enhance the CAD/CAM drawings so that RCR engineers can see more of the surfaces in a 3-D mode so they can do more from a drawing than actually having to produce something and then go back and make adjustments.
The Okuma Technology Center will be 75 percent functional by November and fully operational in time for the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup season.
Text Provided By RCR
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