Automotive

Creaform is a key partner in the automotive and transport industries. Having worked with many manufacturers such as Renault, Chrysler, Bombardier Transport, Bombardier Recreational Products, Prevost Car, Nova Bus and Mack Truck, we are experienced with all the challenges that both these activity fields present. Thanks to our experienced people, we can offer high quality 3D engineering services to our clients from the automotive and transport industry. Besides, our portable 3D measurement technologies can be used for applications such as:

Styling, design and reverse engineering
Prototyping
Simulation
Manufacturing
Quality control/inspection
Design for aftermarket

First Article Inspection with Dynamic Referencing

The inspection of first-out parts is essential to any manufacturing process. These parts, considered as prototypes, are typically produced in small quantities and measured against a blueprint or compared with a CAD file to verify whether the parts were accurately produced and, when applicable, identify causes of defects.

First Article Inspection – Freeform Parts

The inspection of the first manufactured parts is essential in the development of any manufacturing process. The prototypes are typically produced in small quantities and must be inspected against a blueprint or by comparison to a CAD file to ensure that the parts are accurately produced or to correctly identify the causes of impending defects.

First Article Inspection – Geometric Elements, Freeforms and Reflective Surfaces

First article inspection is essential to most manufacturing processes. Prototype parts are typically produced in small quantities. They are measured against a blueprint or compared with a CAD file to make sure they were accurately produced

Product Development - Alto Trailer

Support of the company Safari Condo for the design of an ultralight trailer. Lightweight design means optimizing mechanical behaviour to achieve the same or better performance as with existing trailers while reducing component weight.

Product Development - Vehicle lift

Prévost Car needed to move motor vehicles inside its painting chambers. However, to avoid environment contamination, these vehicles could not simply be driven. Therefore, an equipment was designed to lift and handle vehicles into a very small space.

Product Development - Volvo Bus

Using FEA, Creaform can analyze highly complex assemblies by combining a number of materials in realistic operating conditions. Bus structure behaviour under severe road conditions is one example of this.

Product Development - Volvo Bus Seat

Bus seats must meet definite impact resistance standards. Our team has designed many seat and safety belt supports that were compliant to current standards. In so doing, the team draws on its mechanical design expertise and performs structural analyses using FEA.

Product Development of a Trailer/Loader

Structural optimization and design of trailer loading masts for Bercomac. Selection of high performance materials and an assembly that ensures optimal bearing capacity and performance in a lightweight structure. Complete project, from concept revision and prototype evaluation to final design.

Production Compliance Inspection – Fully-Automated Measurement Process

All parts on a production line are subject to three-dimensional verification, that can be done using either the systematic method or by random sampling. In general, only some critical features are verified.

Reverse Engineering - Car Body Design

Reverse engineering is a process by which the design of a product is analysed or re-created using a physical part or mock-up as a starting point. This becomes truly valuable when trying to extract the design intent from a handmade model (like a supercar), from discontinued parts or from an old design that was made without a 3D model reference (rare models, prototypes).

Reverse Engineering - Seat Design

Reverse engineering is a process by which the design of a product is analysed or re-created using a physical part as a starting point. This becomes really valuable when trying to extract the design intent from a seat prototype or when benchmarking competitive products.

Reverse Engineering Aftermarket

In automotive aftermarket, extracting dimensions from manufacturers' parts is critical. This process can help designing custom parts like body and suspension kits, engine components or other performance parts. In those cases, the general dimensions of the part and especially the fixation points need to be defined accurately.

Tool Testing and Adjustment in the Factory

At the start of a new production line, design tools (molds, jigs, racks, presses, etc.) should be periodically inspected and adjusted as part of preventive maintenance or before any product drift, to deliver the expected level of performance.

Tool Testing and Adjustment – Moulds, Jigs, Frames and Presses

When starting a new production line, for preventive maintenance operations or in case of production drifts, production tools (moulds, jigs, frames, presses, etc.) should be regularly tested and adjusted to deliver expected levels of performance.

Wear and Deformation Monitoring

During the testing phases of new products, it is often necessary to measure distortions encountered during normal usage, or the results of wear during phases of intensive testing. It is thus necessary to measure the deformation of fuel tanks during thermal cycles, the movement of exhaust pipes in operation, the deformation of engine mounting brackets, strain during crash tests, etc.