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Engineering firm celebrates Olympic triumph
Team GB’s triumph at the Paris 2024 Olympics was celebrated by sports fans round the country. In some events, as in cycling, optimum tech solutions helped to decide the winners.
Gloucestershire-based engineering firm Renishaw played a pivotal role in providing the winning edge for the elite athletes of British Cycling.
Renishaw’s expertise in Additive Manufacturing (AM) was used to develop peak-performing track bikes that propelled the British team to multiple podium finishes.
British Cycling, the national governing body for cycling in Great Britain, had a clear objective: to equip their riders with bikes that would deliver maximum speed, balance, and aerodynamics.
The tech solutions pioneered by Renishaw played a pivotal role in providing British Cycling with the winning edge – photo: Renishaw
By leveraging AM, Renishaw enabled British Cycling to create complex geometries that were impossible to achieve using traditional manufacturing methods.
The hollowed-out seat posts, for instance, reduced weight while maintaining the necessary strength, enhancing the riders’ performance. AM also allowed for rapid prototyping and customisation, ensuring that each bike was tailored to the specific needs of the individual rider.
While AM machines were made in South Wales, the facilities at Renishaw manufactured over 1,000 parts to support 32 track bikes plus spares.
Ben Collins, Renishaw’s lead AM applications engineer, said: “After determining that the British Cycling team could not produce core crank and seat post components in carbon fibre within the shorter time frame required, we began creating some additively manufactured prototypes in plastic.
“Additive manufacturing enabled us to create complex geometries that removed any unnecessary weight while delivering the strength required for the athletes to reach racing speed.
“To develop a more aerodynamic seat post, engineers designed more free-form geometries to hollow out the part as much as possible, something that would not be achievable using traditional methods.”
Of the 65 medals brought home by Team GB, 17 were won in cycling.
The facilities at Renishaw manufactured over 1,000 parts to support 32 track bikes, plus spares during the project – photo: SWPix
Some of the highlights included Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane winning gold in the women’s team sprint, coming from behind to break the world record.
“The carbon fibre parts produced using traditional machining methods for the Tokyo bike met all the requirements we had, but time constraints for the Paris bike meant that this method was no longer viable for some bespoke parts,” explained Dr Oliver Caddy, lead project engineer at British Cycling.
“After seeing the benefits of AM and what it helped us achieve on the Tokyo bike, we knew it could be a manufacturing method to explore further.”
To learn more about Renishaw’s work with British Cycling, read the full case study on Renishaw’s website: Renishaw brings AM innovation to Olympic track bike components
Main photo: SWPix
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