Tougher MOTORCYCLES
Stronger Frames, Faster Throughput

To improve efficiency in the manufacture of a new motorcycle, a major manufacturer turned to Signicast. Working closely with engineers and designers from the manufacturer, Signicast engineers designed and created a single investment cast component. The new component eliminated a six-piece forging and stamping process from the assembly line that produces the vehicle’s frame.

Because dimension stability was critical, Signicast used solidification modeling to predict where sectional changes would be required to create solid castings and as a stiffness transition to maximize stress-resistance and increase the overall strength of the frame. The resulting one-piece casting not only improved reliability of the motorcycle by reducing part variation and welding distortion on the frame, it also reduced the component's cost by 15%. In addition, it enabled the customer to remove a welded subassembly from its manufacturing process and improve throughput time by 25%.