Foundry
The Light Alloys technology area is where the components of Ferrari 8- and 12-cylinder engines take shape. Manufacturing is organised in two teams: one for special castings (which produces prototype parts for volume production and parts for the racing team) and one for industrial castings for GT cars.
The ATLL's role is to produce castings using two different techniques: in shells (permanent steel moulds) with the molten metal is poured at a temperature of 720° C and in sand moulds, where the temperature of the metal reaches 740° C. The characteristics of the modern systems used in this area make it possible to achieve precision casting geometries, and thicknesses of just 2-3 millimetres.
The primary alloy used (aluminium and silicon) reaches the foundry in ingots and is checked by spectrometer to establish the composition and percentage of the elements. After analysis, the alloy enters the casting furnaces (two medium frequency induction furnaces with a capacity of 1000 kg/h, and one dry hearth gas furnace), and is then chemically treated and modified. The next phase of founding involves artificially degassing the alloy prior to passing it to (electric) holding furnaces which keep it at a set temperature until casting.
Both techniques require the use of "cores", inner moulds which are inserted into the shells and the sand moulds to create the internal cavities of the casting. Production of certain types of engine may require the use of more than 100 of these components. Once they have been emptied and cleaned of all the sand, the castings are cut and trimmed, before being heat treated to obtain the required mechanical characteristics.
To reach the high quality and reliability levels that are set by Ferrari's engineers, the Light Alloy technology area checks all its castings visually and with radiographic and fluoroscopic control apparatus. Hardness and traction tests are also performed to certify the conformity of the mechanical characteristics of the castings. This test uses scale models that are cast together with the parts and which must pass yield point, peak load and elongation percentage tests.
All these stages are performed in one of the most advanced aluminium alloy casting plants in the world. A modern construction built in 1993 and developed around the requirements of the staff who work in an environment that is unusually cool, clean and quiet.