VI-grade, an automotive simulation company, has entered into a partnership with Step Lab, a designer and manufacturer of static, dynamic and impact testing machines. The collaboration aims to provide a turnkey integrated mechanical hardware-in-the-loop (mHiL) testing technology for automotive shock absorbers, which can streamline the development process and reduce the complexity and time required for implementing advanced testing systems.
The technology can also be applied to active and semi-active suspension systems and advanced control strategies, leveraging VI-grade’s real-time AutoHawk platform and its software stack.
According to the companies, key benefits for customers will include time efficiency, as customers can interact with a single partner responsible for the entire system, reducing development times compared to setting up the final solution with multiple partners. Project costs can also be optimised through a pre-existing, functional solution, eliminating the need for extensive individual setups.
Having previously collaborated on similar systems, VI-grade and Step Lab can also ensure a reliable and tested approach. And since customers will interact with the same partner for all aspects of a project, from preliminary definition to final commissioning, consistency and clarity can be ensured throughout the process.
Ruggero Baesso, founder of Step Lab, said of the collaboration: “Partnering with VI-grade marks a significant step forward in advancing mechanical hardware-in-the-loop solutions for the automotive sector. Our goal with this partnership is to achieve a 30% reduction in time to market for automotive shock absorber systems, providing a notable advantage for manufacturers. Combining our mechanical testing expertise with VI-grade’s simulation technology, we aim to deliver a comprehensive and efficient solution tailored to industry needs.”
THIS VIDEO shows how real-life component testing with a Damper-in-the-Loop system works with VI-CarRealTime on AutoHawk.
