Manufacturer wins £6m grant for lighter automotive and aerospace parts

A pioneering research program is underway in the Midlands that aims to produce lighter automotive and aerospace cast components using 100% recycled aluminium for the first time.

Coventry-based Sarginsons Industries, along with partners including Aston Martin, has received a £6m matched grant from the Advanced Propulsion Centre and Innovate UK for their Performance Integrated Vehicle Optimisation Technology (PIVOT) project.

The project is expected to enhance the production of new vehicles, making them more sustainable, lighter and cost-effective.

Altair, a leader in computational intelligence, will collaborate with Sarginsons to develop software that uses AI to create organic designs for chassis components for an existing Aston Martin model.

The new software will automate the design process for components, speeding up development while lowering costs. The organic designs produced will improve component strength and reduce weight by optimizing material placement based on the part’s mechanical properties.

The research aims to demonstrate that a vehicle’s chassis mass can be reduced by up to 30% without compromising strength, which could improve the driving range of new vehicles.

It focuses on sourcing aluminium more sustainably by utilising fully recycled aluminium for stronger components.