Fast is the new normal. Even so, real, raw, “Wow, that’s amazing!” physical speed and acceleration are unique in their power to thrill people — and nowhere more so than at top motorcycle racing events such as the British Superbike and British Supersport Championships. It’s not just the speed. We’re awed by the riders’ skill and courage, and their trust in their team-mates. Most of us couldn’t ride a Superbike at 20 mph never mind 200 mph, but when we’re deciding on our next vehicle, an image of the triumphant rider and bike may come to mind. Yes, maybe we really could own a road bike or a car with that winning brand. And some of the magic just might rub off . . .

The goal is to win.
Honda Racing is there to be first past the chequered flag. The goal is to win and to win consistently. To achieve that, Honda Racing needs to give its own and its customers’ riders and technicians the best possible combination of machines and backup with which to compete. The company needs to design, develop and manufacture its components with the same winning combination of quality and reliability. That is why since 2003 Honda Racing has been using an EdgeCAM® intelligent solids-based manufacturing solution to power its in-house machine shop.

Honda Racing.
The company and its staff of 25 are based in Louth, Lincolnshire, ideally located for travel in various directions to the championship circuits. The reception area of the modern facility is filled with glorious, gleaming trophies and glorious gleaming motorcycles. Some of the machines come from Honda ready for use; others arrive as road bikes for conversion or modification into racing bikes. And now, Honda Racing has developed its own new Superbike based on a Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) machine.

Honda talks…Pathtrace listens.
Honda Racing believed that their needs were very specialised and appreciated Pathtrace’s understanding of all the relevant issues. Ian Smith notes, “In our business, you can’t just go out and buy the parts you need. You have to be able to design and manufacture them…and quickly.” He continues, “The co-operative attitude and flexibility of Pathtrace was fantastic. We talked requirements and Pathtrace listened.” And now, thanks to an excellent working relationship, what started as a purchase of CAD/CAM software has evolved into a formal partnership between the two companies.

In at the deep end
By the end of 2003 Ian and his colleagues had acquired the means to manufacture these highly complex components in a fraction of the time it used to take, implementing EdgeCAM for their two new Fanuc Robodrill a-T21 CNC machines. How were the team members to learn to use the new software? Because of the tight timescales that Honda Racing works to, off-site training was simply not an option. The answer was, as Ian Smith puts it, “…to jump in at the deep end, with complex components,” which is exactly what he and his colleagues did, learning on the job with what they commend as “fantastic help from Pathtrace.” The team quickly began to find EdgeCAM addictive as they moved along the learning curve up to 3D and then on to four-axis work.

Associative tool paths speeds part modifications.
The criteria against which component designs are measured at Honda Racing are function, form and weight. “We pride ourselves in the thoroughness of our approach. We try to look at all the problems, and then make the part, right first time,” says Chris Kingsland. However, this is the real world, and even with all of Honda Racing’s experience, rapid design changes may become necessary. EdgeCAM’s capability to handle this has proved to be of great value. Chris again, “Take this top bridge mount. We looked at the one on the road bike we were adapting from, decided our design and quickly made the part with an EdgeCAM programme. We proved it on the 2005 Fireblade ridden to impressive effect by Karl Harris on his debut aboard the machine at an end-of-season non-championship event in 2004.” The testing went well and led to an even better idea, “We decided to modify the mount slightly so we could adjust the ride more easily without taking out the rear shock absorber.” Back to the drawing board . . . or in this case back to EdgeCAM Part Modeler. Thanks to EdgeCAM’s associativity, such changes to complex components can be made in a fraction of the time this would take using traditional methods or using non-associative software. The tool paths are associative to any changes made to the 3D model, so that if the model is changed, so are the tool paths – automatically. Chief Mechanic Chris Pike confirms, “We made the changes to the design, manufactured the part and had it running on the bike, all within two weeks. That’s quick.”

Universal appeal.
EdgeCAM appeals to each team member at Honda Racing in a different way. Ian Smith loves the EdgeCAM-assisted timescales, which he illustrates simply by brandishing a new gear lever and saying “One and a half hours with EdgeCAM versus two weeks without!” Machinist Matthew Perry likes the way they can “try out and preview and change — the advantage of the working model.” Chris Pike observes, “It is very user friendly. You can use it without formal engineering training, because the terminology isn’t baffling.” He discovered this by launching into designing with EdgeCAM Part Modeler after one very short lesson.