BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik

BBS is a brand of high-quality alloy wheels for passenger cars and motorsports. The original company was founded in 1970 in Schiltach in the Black Forest and is now divided by a checkered history in three companies. The BBS GmbH manufactures wheels for passenger cars, the BBS Motorsport GmbH produces wheels for motorsport and the BBS Wheels Washi GmbH high-quality forged wheels in small numbers.

BBS GmbH employs approximately 360 employees and 15 trainees at two sites in Germany. She's since April 2012 owned by the Austrian industrial holding Tyrol Equity AG and co-investor Udo Wendland.

History

In 1970 was founded by Heinrich Baumgartner and Klaus Brand at the site Schiltach in the Black Forest, the company BBS. The name was taken as shorthand for Baumgartner, Brand, Schiltach. First, body parts were made ​​of plastic in the service until 1972, a new, three-piece motorsport wheel was constructed. This was created out of an idea by Martin Braungart, Chief Race Engineer of the Ford Capri touring car factory teams to quickly vary at the track wheel width and offset can. Moreover, as different materials (aluminum, magnesium), and stress-related manufacturing processes ( stamping and roll for aluminum materials, casting of magnesium alloys ) can be combined optimally with each other. From then on, the company had a strong presence in motorsport. The company continued to develop steadily. Shortly thereafter, the first foreign subsidiary was founded in France, the three-piece wheels were introduced for the Umrüstgeschäft and received large sales on the aftermarket. These positive developments BBS went in 1987 to the Exchange, trading under the name BBS Automotive Technology AG. After three more years, the subsidiaries were established in Japan and the USA, and opened an office in Italy.

The 25th anniversary in the company in 1995, at the time when Michael Schumacher with Benetton Renault for the 2nd time winning the Formula 1 World Championship on BBS wheels. More numerous successes in motorsport on BBS wheels followed. In addition, the retrofit market was revolutionized with the two-piece RS wheel this year, the world bored today considered a design classic.

As the company expanded at the site Schiltach, was opened in 2000 /01 in Herbolzheim the painting and logistics center on 7000qm. The site boasts a convenient location with access to the A5 allows fast shipping worldwide. In February 2007, the BBS had to Automotive Technology AG to file for bankruptcy. The management explained that they had to cope with a large decline in profits due to the sharp rise in aluminum prices. Production continued meanwhile continuously. The company was bought by the Belgian company Punch International NV and continued as BBS International GmbH. In July 2009, the Holding Punch International separated "due to the impact of the financial crisis," however, large parts of its automotive division and sold BBS at the Punch majority shareholder Creacorp NV.

30 December 2010 had to be re-notified insolvency. The reason was called, so that BBS can be split cleanly. In the course of the insolvency of the motor sports sector (BBS Motorsport GmbH) and the forged area (BBS Wheels Washi GmbH) were sold to the Japanese ONO group, who moved into its new headquarters with an associated manufacturing facility after Haslach. There, about 40 employees. With the deadline of 1 April 2012, the Tyrol Equity AG (Innsbruck / Austria ) has joined together with a co-investor Udo Wendland in neufirmierten BBS GmbH.

Technology

For the development of a long-lived light-alloy wheel a number of computer-aided design steps are carried out before the first cast of the wheels occurs at BBS. Each type of wheel is modeled in three dimensions using the CAD software and passes through various FEM analyzes. In the finite element method, the characteristics of a wheel type with regard to its structural behavior, for example, Fatigue strength and dynamics, determined and optimized. This analysis can be used to simulate how a type of wheel under real operating conditions and loads will behave. Even during the design phase, a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis is performed ( FMEA). Subsequently, each new type of wheel is giesssimuliert to achieve later when casting a high stable casting quality. The mold and flow-forming - tool production is carried out under their direction internally or externally.

Aluminum, silicon, strontium, and other components are heated in furnaces to 750 degrees, and fused. After a quality check of the alloy, the liquid material is provided for casting. BBS used to prepare a cast ingot in the Niederdruckkokillenguss method. The aluminum alloy produced is pressed with a pressure of up to 1.2 bar in the multi-part form. After cooling to below 400 ° C, the mold is opened, whereby the cast blank is ready for further processing. Can be excluded with the fact that air was trapped in the blank when casting or surface defects are created, are subjected to all the wheels of the X-ray inspection and discarded defective wheels. The next production step, the wheels of the Performance Line be edited with the flow-forming process. Here the cast ingot produced in the low pressure casting process is heated and rolled the rim under high pressure. In this case, the rim is thinner, compresses the material and increases the strength. The wheel is the result stable and easier.

In addition comes a special heat treatment, through which all of the BBS wheels. The material can enter into a closer relationship and stresses are minimized. This guarantees a consistently high strength and achieves a high service life of the wheels. The fine-tuning is performed by fully automatic CNC milling and turning machines. The precise mechanical processing high concentricity and low unbalance is obtained. Some wheels are additionally lightened by milling the rear spokes. With the rear milling the optimal ratio between weight and stability. This side lying in a special CNC milling fractions of the wheel spoke are removed that are not relevant for the strength to reduce the rotating mass of the wheel.

Furthermore, the wheels can be enhanced by the "Air Inside Technology ". In this method, cavities are generated in the wheels, for example in the spokes or in the internal and external shoulder. By this construction, after the hollow chamber principle, the rotating masses are extremely reduced. At the same time the stability and load capacity of the wheel improve.

The special luster of the wheels made ​​by BBS the Preparation of the alloys. Furthermore, making a three -layer coating the surface resistant. For maximum brilliance of the rim BBS uses the Keramikpolierung. The wheel is polished in several machining operations with small ceramic particles. For special finish some wheels are diamond cut with BBS, the surface is exposed to the aluminum back and create a unique, two-tone look is created. Reasons of corrosion protection each wheel finally receives a chrome-free passivation layer chemically and environmentally friendly three -layer coating ( primer powder, water-based paint and Akrylpulver ). It was also developed by BBS collision protection for rims, which protects the wheel from damage ( eg by approaching the curb edge ). This crash can be exchanged by the customer itself. All 100 % tests ( such as X, imbalance, tightness and three visual assessment ) are documented at each wheel. To release each new type of wheel is checked on various test rigs to shape and duration of immunity. Likewise, the material and surface treatment in the laboratory to be checked for different specifications and then released. Periodically re-qualification tests are performed from the series.

Design

Two years after the company was founded, the first three-piece racing wheels were produced, which were developed to quickly vary at the track wheel width and offset can.

In the 1970s, the company acquired a special reputation in the production of alloy wheels in a cross-spoke design, which is characterized by a very high number of spokes: the RS wheel This is up to the mid-80s and partly worldwide today on road and race cars to see.

End of the 80 years, the multiple cross-spoke design reduced to a 7- Y- spoke design, which has been successfully established since then in many varieties.

In addition, BBS wheels with 5 - and 10 -Y -spoke designs here that are tailored specifically depending on the wheel on certain vehicles, such as the SV wheel, which was initially developed for SUVs. A new development that falls designs from the classical framework of the BBS, is the sporting XA.

5 -Y -spoke design

7 -Y -spoke design

Awards