Drew Price Engineering (DPE) manufactures and designs innovative kart
products including axle components, bodywork, brakes hardware and, of course,
chassis. Digital 3D design has helped this Australian kart company clean up at
the grand finals on the international karting circuit.
With more than 25 years experience in designing and manufacturing karts, Drew
Price Engineering took on the challenge last year of driving the business
forward into the third dimension. Using Autodesk Inventor 3D design software DPE
increased the design and development performance of their karts – paying
dividends at the track.
DPE designed karts took out four of the top ten positions at the 2002 Rotax
Max Challenge Grand Finals in Malaysia. Contested by 75 drivers from 29
countries, first place winner, South African Claudio Pallazza-Musso drove a DPE
designed kart as did Australian Darrell Smith who topped the ranks in the +35
years category.
Design Cycle Tightens
Karts differ from other vehicles in that they have no visible suspension. The
trick to a good kart is ensuring that the framework will allow a bit of give and
take on the track.
Designing such a frame is a time consuming process, as designs need to be
continually created, tested and revised. Intelligent 3D software such as
Autodesk Inventor allows both major and minor revisions to be made in the early
stages of the design, eliminating the need to make major changes later in the
engineering cycle.
The time saved on making these revisions can then be reinvested in work done
on the aesthetics of the kart, ensuring it achieves the sleek, professional look
of an A-grade kart.
Exterior bodywork detailing is conducted using the digital 3D model.
Simulated materials such as steel, aluminium, plastic and fiberglass are
employed and manipulated to create a realistic image of the end product.
Put Through Its Paces
Automated drawing production is not unusual in the automotive design
industry. What is interesting however, is that DPE integrated the designs in
Autodesk Inventor with Cosmos, a mechanical testing program.
AX8 kart brake disc designed and visualised in Autodesk Inventor.
Sharing the digital design data between Inventor and Cosmos, loads and forces
are applied to the chassis, rigorously testing its strength, flexibility and
durability.
Modifications made to the plans in Cosmos are automatically fed back to
Inventor where the intelligent design data updates itself accordingly.
Rear axle and brake disc of AX8 go-kart designed using Autodesk Inventor.
This process ensures that the components are road-worthy before physical
models are even required. The need for prototyping and physical testing is
therefore reduced, saving DPE and customers both time and money. More
importantly, this means the karts produced by DPE maintain and improve their
reputation for good quality.
Making Life Easy for Marketing
Based in Melbourne, DPE currently exports its award-winning karts and karting
products to 15 countries around the world, including the US, UK, Canada and
Japan.
For DPE, the 3D digital designs extend beyond the engineering team, helping
the company to market its karts overseas.
According to Drew Price, managing director of DPE, "International
clients are able to see the finished product on the screen in front of them and
are assured of the kart’s functionality before they even lay hands on a
physical model."
With success in the USA, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the Oceania
Championships, Arrow AX# karts and DPE products are becoming more and more
recognised all over the world.
In their large, modern kart design and manufacturing facility in Melbourne,
Australia - possibly the largest outside Europe - they carry out most work
'in-house'. This ensures the highest quality is achieved and maintained. Their
unique combination of modern technology, engineering ingenuity and clever design
provide an unparalleled platform from which to design and manufacture some of
the very best karts and karting products.
In addition to Arrow AX# karts, DPE also have its own exclusive 'Kartech'
range of karting equipment, which comprises driving apparel, promotional items,
tools, engine and exhaust components, seats and sprockets - just to mention a
few! DPE are also agents and distributors for many of Australia’s and the
world’s best karting components, including being the sole Australian importer
of Bridgestone kart tyres and Rotax kart engines.
