McLaren Racing has selected e-Xstream to provide materials data management for its Formula 1 cars, which make extensive use of advanced materials to optimise performance and handling. The team has chosen the company’s MaterialCenter materials lifecycle management system to help its engineering team make design decisions quickly and efficiently, with knowledge of the performance and cost implications. The system captures data from material testing and the many tools and processes the team employs to ensure full traceability throughout each component’s lifecycle.
MaterialCenter is designed to manage the complete materials workflow as the single point of entry for all materials-related activities, giving engineers a consistent source of approved materials derived from traceable integrated processes, resulting in reduced data loss and the elimination of manual data management tasks. The system addresses unique processes and data requirements and enables design innovation using complex and advanced materials such as alloys, elastomers, plastics, metals and composites.
Richard Jenkins, materials group leader for McLaren Racing said, “Designing and building a Formula 1 race car is one of the greatest engineering challenges imaginable. It takes all of the individual engineering pressures – time, budget, weight, performance – and hyper focuses them into one package.
“We chose MaterialCenter because its open architecture and flexibility allows us to integrate the system with our existing tools, and its data collection capabilities will help us understand, manage and control our advanced materials constraints so we can keep building ever-better vehicles and winning races.”
