Technologie forging

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FORGING TECHNOLOGY
24
min
Forging the blanks
Forging of the wheel blank in multiple steps
The wheel blank is forged in a multi-stage forging process from the billet, which is made of a special aluminum alloy. In each of these stages the blank is processed and formed within a forging press using 8,000 - 10,000 t pressure. The blank is heated between each step to retain the temperature necessary for forming. In stage 1 the billet is compressed into a disk. In stage 2 the disk is pressed in a special matrix to form a narrow wheel blank. The additional stages are only applicable for designer forged wheels. Here, the wheel design is forged into the blank using a forging tool. Due to the extreme compression of the material, the blank already possesses excellent mechanical properties and a very high-quality material microstructure. Any pores or inclusions are eliminated within the compression process. All forging blanks are sourced from Japan, which is recognized globally for its excellent forging technology.
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24
min
Flow Forming of the wheel blank
Pre-processing
Mechanical pre-processing to ensure that the wheel is perfectly prepared for the elongation process.
Heating
So that the blank is able to withstand the extreme loading during the Flow Forming process it is heated up to allow the microstructure to become more formable.
Elongation
Three rotating rollers elongate the wheel blank to the desired rim width with more than 10t of pressure via a custom wheel matrix. This rolling process specifically models the blank. The flow-forming technology allows a rim well thickness of just 2.25 mm on the finished wheel (inc. lacquer) to be achieved.
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840
min
14
HRS
Heat treatment
Solution annealing
Repeated strong heating, so-called solution annealing of the blanks, dissolves sufficient alloying elements in the molecular solid solution, allowing them to adopt a closer connection.
Quenching
Rapid quenching cools the blanks to 70°C and hardens the molecular structure. This reinforces the close bonds, but makes the wheel blank brittle at the same time.
Artificial ageing
Subsequent artificial ageing allows the blank to rest at an exactly defined temperature and the solidified microstructure is able to relax once more. The high-precision interplay between temperature and time for the artificial ageing equips the wheel blank with the exact desired strength values and therefore the unique BBS material quality
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220
min
3,7
HRS
Mechanical machining
Machining CNC turning
Mechanical CNC machining is used to turn down the interior and exterior areas of the blank.
5-axis milling of the design inc. weight optimization
The latest 5-axis CNC milling machines create the actual wheel design in this complex and elaborate manufacturing step. Over several hours the complete wheel design with all its features is milled out from the enclosed forging blank. The forged wheels also receive even more intensive processing for further weight optimization. Due to the excellent material quality, with forged wheels substantially larger milled out sections and thinner material thicknesses are possible. Using a patented process, it is even possible for BBS to mill out full-thickness penetrations in spokes, thereby drastically reducing the wheel weight. So for example with the BBS forged wheels, a weight of just 7.7 kg is achieved (FI-R 19).
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275
min
4,6
HRS
Lacquer finish
Pre-treatment
Comprehensive cleaning in the pre-treatment area removes all contamination on the wheel surface, which could potentially affect later lacquer application on the wheel. This also includes the tiniest grease residues from human contact, which would be visible on the flawless surface later on.
Base powder application
Application of the matching base powder for the subsequent colored paint of the wheel. The base powder ensures a smooth and sealed surface, on which even the finest colored paint can be applied later in the process. A gentle drying process ensures that the base powder is cured and the wheel is ready for color painting.
Application of colored paint
Application of the colored paint onto the powder-coated wheel via electrostatic coating and compressed air spraying. This ensures even paint distribution even in difficult places, giving a perfect paint coating.
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Complete process
1.383
min
23
HRS