A racing throttle
plate being milled
and throttle plates
after machining.
And this is precisely what GM is doing, because as Dan
Nicholson, vice president, GM Global Powertrain, explained
on the occasion of the opening of the center, "We race to win
and learn. This new facility ofers unprecedented opportuni-
ties to connect our racing engineers and powertrain engi-
neers, integrating their knowledge to give our racers an edge
on the track and our customers better vehicles on the road."
The people within the center are involved in design release,
full CNC machining, engine build, electronics and telematics,
dynamometer validation and calibration.
Inside the machining section, cylinder block, cylinder
heads, fuel rails and other engine components are produced.
There are over 30 machine tools for milling and turning
operations in the new facility.
There are 10 all-new engine build bays, each measuring
120-ft
2
. There are eight bays in the Engine Build room
and two in a prep area that's closer to the dyno testing
operation. Each bay has an air drop for powered tools (e.g.,
programmable torque wrenches). There's ready access to an
overhead crane for engine loading and unloading on and of
the build stands. A ROMER portable coordinate measuring
machine is on site.
38
GM