CUPRA is European car manufacturer SEAT's line of performance vehicles. In the racing world, however, CUPRA has become famous.
You may have already come across the relatively new car brand CUPRA in the automotive world. For those who are unfamiliar with it, CUPRA is European car manufacturer SEAT’s line of performance vehicles. Though it is a spin-off company, it is still under the auspices of SEAT and thus also within the framework of the Volkswagen Group. It is in the racing world, however, that CUPRA has become famous.
The story of the CUPRA brand began in 1996, when SEAT created the CUPRA acronym—for CUP-Racing—as the best version of its sports range. After more than 20 years of history and success, SEAT announced on January 31st, 2018, that CUPRA would become SEAT’s performance brand.
The CUPRA brand was launched, and since then has challenged the world with its innovative, unconventional and high-performance vehicles.
Moreover, CUPRA has manifested its investment in electric vehicles through participation in international electric car races such as Extreme E and PURE ETCR. The brand seriously demonstrated its technical know-how when in 2018 the company unveiled its 100 percent electric racing car, the CUPRA e-Racer, claimed to be “the world’s first fully electrical racing car.” The goal of this vehicle is to contribute to future development and increase knowledge about high-performance electric motors so that the technology can later be used in passenger cars.
In 2021, CUPRA participated in 70 races in the Touring Car Racing series with championships around the world. But the brand has also invested in selling its vehicles in the commercial passenger and electric car market.
In terms of product development, CUPRA Racing has relied on the digital tools from PTC for the development of its racing vehicles, both in terms of CAD with Creo, and in PLM with Windchill as collaborative Product Definition management (cPDm) support.
From Digital to Physical Reality
In motorsports, success largely depends on the driver’s skill. But the work of development engineers to realize new, innovative technology and design is also of great importance when creating faster and more competitive cars.
“This is where CUPRA has its strength,” says Jaume Tarroja, head of Full Vehicle Design at CUPRA Racing. He believes that it is thanks to PTC’s CAD and PLM solutions that CUPRA has been able to optimize the design and manufacturing processes for its vehicle components, which is one of the reasons for the success in racing.
It takes countless hours of hard work and commitment to design a competitive racing car. Part of that work is about designing vehicle components. Here, CUPRA had a breakthrough in 1998 when the company started working with PTC’s Creo CAD software, which at that time was called Pro/ENGINEER. Before the program was implemented, there were some car components that the development team could not design because they were so complex. Creo gave them the features needed to develop the components much faster, as well as test their performance.
“It was groundbreaking when we started using the parametric software from PTC. It changed our way of working completely. We increased efficiency and it became easier to make changes to the design. We were also able to significantly reduce the development time and lead times for the vehicle components, while at the same time improving the quality,” says Tarroja.
Rapid Development with PTC Creo
Initially, the company used only the basic features included in the program. But as requirements became stricter, the number of modules was increased to speed up and simplify the design work.
“We used to design the components in 2D and then send them on for manufacture, which inevitably led to errors. Now we can look at the car in 3D with all components mounted. We can see the whole car on the computer screen and make modifications without changing the car’s design and also in a completely stable environment. This has meant a big step forward for us,” says Tarroja.
Four Decisional Areas
Although the CUPRA team uses all parts of the Creo software, there are four areas of particular interest:
- Top-down design. Using top-down design, engineers can define the general structure of vehicles using modeling. They can design and assemble the components and also ensure that changes are implemented automatically on all components. Because the model has a kinematic function, engineers can quickly simulate the actual movement of the vehicle and determine how the components affect each other. For CUPRA, this step is important because it significantly reduces the number of errors and saves hours of repetitive design work.
- Component simulation. With this option, you can simulate the stress on the components in a real situation. It gives an exact understanding of any weak points and if the construction works.
- Sheet metal. The software streamlines the production of metal components. From the very beginning, this part of the program has helped the company to develop car parts that weigh less, have higher performance and provide better results and financial savings.
- Pipes and cables. In this module, it is possible to simulate the layout for electrical wiring and cooling systems.
In general, simulation represents a big step forward for CUPRA. Previously, a prototype was produced for the supplier, who then made a copy of it. Now, with PTC’s solution, this can all be simulated in the computer—including the wiring and piping—so that everything works as it should during the first manufacturing attempt.
The software’s functions for parameter surface and freehand modeling are also worth mentioning, which in CUPRA’s case are used in component design. With it, the lines and shapes of the parts can be designed freely. Here, a function is used that allows the components to be designed in more detail without changing the existing shape.
Introduction of AI and Generative Design
To further increase its competitiveness, CUPRA now plans to sharpen its functional arsenal with additional PTC Creo solutions. The new modules to be implemented include AI-controlled generative design (optimized for additive manufacturing) and behavioral modeling.
“Creo has unmatched stability and precision in the design of mechanical components,” says Tarroja.
As a complement, CUPRA is also supported on the cPDm side by PTC’s PLM suite Windchill. In general, this is a product data backbone that allows data and processes to be integrated in a cost-effective way throughout the component lifecycle, from the idea stage, through design and manufacture, to the final stage of product maintenance and end-of-life.
CUPRA introduced Windchill in 2014, which meant a big step forward for product data management. With Windchill, it is possible to make changes to a component or an entire vehicle and then with a few clicks ensure that the entire team is immediately updated to the latest version. It reduces the number of errors and saves time.
Optimization of Component Design and Manufacturing Processes
CUPRA and SEAT have been using PTC’s solutions for more than twenty years, and are very pleased with the results.
“In the racing world, a car that you developed as late as last year must also be improved. There is a need to constantly improve construction and design to reduce manufacturing costs,” says Tarroja.
He further believes that the PTC solutions have played an important role in these processes.
“We have noticed that these tools have been developed in step with the industry, which has increased our opportunities for improvement,”
This has given CUPRA additional benefits. For example, it has increased the efficiency of the design of parts.
“Since we can create the components on the computer in 3D and perform all tests digitally in the simulation solutions before we manufacture the part, we can reduce the number of design errors,” says Tarroja. “Thus, the part works perfectly already on the first try after manufacture. In this way, it is possible to reduce the time it takes to get a new vehicle on the market by more than 20 percent.”
They have also been able to reduce the weight of the components and optimize the design process. In fact, the weight of the components can normally be optimized by about 10 percent without deteriorating their mechanical properties. This is largely achieved with the help of finite element modules and digital simulation and analysis. With capable handling of sheet metal in Creo, this gives a total cost reduction of about 15 percent for the components, Tarroja claims.
Shorter Design and Manufacturing Time
Last, but not least, the design and manufacturing time has also been reduced.
A clear example is the development of the stub shaft, a complex part that connects all parts to the front axle. According to Tarroja, the CUPRA team’s work with the PTC tools has increased the efficiency of the work and led to major improvements in the components—their weight has been reduced while their mechanical properties have been maintained.
“Even if the development time for a component depends on the component’s complexity and size, with PTC Creo we can have the component ready for manufacture within two weeks,” he says.
Finally, PTC in CUPRA Racing is one thing; what Volkswagen-owned SEAT uses generally is another. The landscapes in automotive are complicated, and so for Battery Electrical Vehicles (BEVs), VW is currently using their platform MEB (Modularer Elektro Baukasten, or modular electric kit), except for large and premium vehicles. For CUPRA’s high-performance racing car, the MQB Evo platform is used, which underlines the advantages of a pure electric powertrain.