• Race Gearboxes 
• Hybrid Powertrain Solutions
• Race Lubricants
• Dog ring gear, Racing Limited Slip Differentials, Rings and Pinions sets
• Special Custom Parts 
• Body parts – Composites 

We start to work on the composite world in 2008, in the aerospace and advanced composites sectors, leading to new frontiers on composites manufacturing and parts for Motorsport application.

D4S can provide and process advanced composites components on request, on the basis of the customers specifications.

We take care a lot of the final quality of the part and we use very sophisticated process to optimise the performances and also the aesthetic of our components.

We are currently producing parts both for interior and exteriors, structural or just skins.

D4S is also developing and processing advanced fibres with high performances based on different materials and also natural based fibres.

As an example, in the picture here above you can appreciate the final assembling of a 100% carbon fiber hood and tunable wing, with metal matrix composites support.

Our parts are made in Italy from expert engineers and technicians, using top quality aerospace carbon fibers.

We consider racing the best natural testing facilities for our automotive parts.

Our composites parts are tested in the most extreme conditions on the French – Italian Alps and Finland (Ivalo area), and in Ice Racing (Ice Series Championship, Legend Show, Sprint Hinvernale, 12h of Serre Chevalier,…).

In the picture below: Porsche Proto 911 is racing and testing several advanced carbon fibers components:

•        Chassis       
•         Hood
•         Doors
•         Engine cover
•         Rear wing
•         Mirrors
•         Full underbody protections

WHAT IS CFRP

Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers are extremely strong and light fiber-reinforced plastics that contain carbon fibers. CFRPs can be expensive to produce, but are commonly used wherever high strength-to-weight ratio and stiffness (rigidity) are required, such as aerospace, superstructures of ships, automotive, civil engineering, sports equipment, and an increasing number of consumer and technical applications.

The binding polymer is often a thermoset resin such as epoxy, but other thermoset or thermoplastic polymers, such as polyester, vinyl ester, or nylon, are sometimes used. The properties of the final CFRP product can be affected by the type of additives introduced to the binding matrix (resin). The most common additive is silica, but other additives such as rubber and carbon nanotubes can be used.

WHICH TECHNOLOGY WE USE

Molding

One method of producing CFRP parts is by layering sheets of carbon fiber cloth into a mold in the shape of the final product. The alignment and weave of the cloth fibers is chosen to optimize the strength and stiffness properties of the resulting material. The mold is then filled with epoxy and is heated or air-cured. The resulting part is very corrosion-resistant, stiff, and strong for its weight. 

High-performance parts using single molds are often vacuum-bagged and/or autoclave-cured, because even small air bubbles in the material will reduce strength.

Vacuum bagging

For simple pieces of which relatively few copies are needed (1–2 per day), a vacuum bag can be used. A fiberglass, carbon fiber, or aluminum mold is polished and waxed, and has a release agent applied before the fabric and resin are applied, and the vacuum is pulled and set aside to allow the piece to cure (harden).

In this case we use manual wet layup, where the two-part resin is mixed and applied before being laid in the mold and placed in the bag. 

Sometimes we work by infusion, where the dry fabric and mold are placed inside the bag while the vacuum pulls the resin through a small tube into the bag, then through a tube with holes or something similar to evenly spread the resin throughout the fabric.

Finally we could also apply the dry layup. Here, the carbon fiber material is already impregnated with resin (pre-preg) and is applied to the mold in a similar fashion to adhesive film. The assembly is then placed in our autoclave in vacuum to cure. The dry layup method has the least amount of resin waste and can achieve lighter constructions than wet layup, but normally is used if the number of the parts (or the specs) to be produced justify the technology. 

WHICH SECTOR

Aerospace engineering

Dr. Eng. Sergio Durante participated to different projects related to the manufacturing of large CFRP aerospace parts, like for the Boeing 787, the Aibus A380 and A350 and several military applications 

The new generations of long range airplane sport huge amount of CFRP parts, including wing spars and fuselage components, reaching up to 50% weight ratio. This doesn’t mean that it is a simple technology because a lot of aspects still need optimisation and more efficiency, like the reparability, the recyclability.

Last but not least is the applications in drones and RC models.

Automotive engineering

CFRPs are extensively used in high-end automobile racing. The high cost of carbon fiber is mitigated by the material's unsurpassed strength-to-weight ratio, and low weight is essential for high-performance automobile racing. Race-car manufacturers have also developed methods to give carbon fiber pieces strength in a certain direction, making it strong in a load-bearing direction, but weak in directions where little or no load would be placed on the member. 

D4S is also active in the incorporation of CFRP in many hypercars over the past few decades.

Sport goods

Kitesurf, Windsurf, Wind foils, Skateboards…..

examples: full body and full chassis for Citroen DS3 WRC Ice Racing, full body and chassis Giannini GP350, Porsche Proto GT3,..