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Case study

Tanto Light Lens

Carbon fibre lens surround for an aftermarket superbike headlight. Designed against the client's existing housing geometry and infused on a tool designed and built in house.

01Drawing
Project
R1 Tanto Light Lens
Client
Superbike Assassin
Part
Lens surround, carbon fibre
Sector
Motorcycle / aftermarket
Process
Vacuum infusion
Scope
Design · Tooling · Manufacture
Image slot2400 × 1600 px · JPG
02Brief

The brief.

The client supplied a headlight housing and a target appearance. No carbon part existed for it, and no repeatable route to produce one. Requirements: flush interface to the housing, dimensional stability under service load and temperature, and a finished visible-weave surface.

03Method

Method.

  1. 01Modelled against the client's supplied housing geometry, so the interface was designed to the actual mating surface rather than to a measured approximation.
  2. 02Resolved draft angle, split line position and edge closeout at design stage, so no geometry compromise was required at tooling.
  3. 03Dedicated mould tool taken from the approved part model and built in house.
  4. 04Infused under full vacuum, cured, trimmed to drawing and clear coated to a visible-weave surface.
04Laminate

Ply schedule, tool side out.

Ply 01 lies against the tool and becomes the visible face. Areal weight and weave are stated per ply. Fibre orientation is held in the issued ply schedule and is not published here.

PlyReinforcement
012x2 twill carbon, 200 g/m² — surface ply
022x2 twill carbon, 400 g/m²
032x2 twill carbon, 400 g/m²
05Outcome

Outcome.

Part fits the original housing without modification. Tool retained, so subsequent units enter the sequence at layup rather than at design.

06Images
Image slot1600 × 1200 px · JPG
Mould tool, made in house
Image slot1600 × 1200 px · JPG
Fitted to the client's housing
07Next
08Contact

Send geometry. Receive price, route and date.

We run 10 to 1000 parts a year and reply within one working day. If a part falls outside our process route or our envelope, we will tell you rather than quote it anyway.