AUTUMN 2019
FAST TAILPIECE
Drawer slides for winners
If you are reading this waiting for the tyres to be changed on your car you might
like to think about the theory that the technological advances made in Formula 1
racing filter down to ordinary motorists. For example, the record for changing all
four wheels on a F1 car is 1.92 seconds.
Everything in F1 is hugely competitive
including the time it takes to
complete a pit stop. If a team can
cut pit stop times, they gain a competitive
advantage and – during a Grand Prix –
every hundredth of a second counts.
Technology arms race
Pit teams use lasers to position the car perfectly
and redesign wheel nut threads again and again
to aid speed and prevent cross threading. They
have even experimented with using helium and
nitrogen to make wheel guns faster.
Nothing can fail
It’s vital that cars pit as rapidly as possible and
that a fast turnaround is achieved every single
time. The pit crew is drilled to perfection and all
the equipment must be absolutely reliable. This
extends to the transport systems used by the
teams, which is where JET PRESS’ Accuride
Slides come in. They are used in the cases the
teams use in the pit lane and to transport tools
and components from race to race.
The teams travel around 100,000 miles a
year between races and test sessions. Most are
based in Europe, so a lot of this travel is by road,
so they must withstand the occasional rough
ride. For the non-European ‘flyaway’ races all
the kit goes into an aircraft hold, so space is a
critical issue. The cases also go through a rapid
semi thermal cycle – from the cold of an aircraft
hold straight onto a runway in Australia or the
Middle East – and still work perfectly.
There is not enough time between some of
the flyaway races to go home so teams often
transport a lot of components.
Only the best will do
The designer must create a transport system that
can withstand the rigours of air and road travel.
It should be lightweight, so more components
can be carried, and crucially it must never fail
when it gets into the pit lane.
The Accuride 9308 and 7400 slides are used
in F1. The 9308 has a 227kg load rating and
opens 100%. It also features lock-in and lock-out
functionality so the drawer will only open when
the lever is activated, and they can be locked
open when in use. Some designers pair the 9308
slide with the 9301 so only one of the slides
has a lock-out lever – another way to save split
seconds in the pit lane.
The 7400 Self Close Drawer Slide has a
45kg load rating and bayonet fittings that work
well with metal cabinets. They can be installed
quickly and easily and moved later if the size or
configuration of drawers needs to be changed.
This slide opens more than 100% so nothing can
get stuck at the back of the drawer and the slim
profile means space is maximised.
The Accuride 9308, 9301E and 7400 are
all Ball Bearing Drawer Slides so the action
is consistently smooth, and the Mild Steel
construction is robust. Passivated Zinc Plate
protects against corrosion, so these slides keep
performing at 100% efficiency for the life of
the case.
A winning team
Though JET PRESS may not be responsible
for winning a Grand Prix, when a driver takes
the chequered flag and climbs on the winners’
podium its engineers know they’ve played
their part.
JET PRESS
01623 551800
www.jetpress.com
42 www.fastening-solutions.co.uk
/www.jetpress.com
/www.fastening-solutions.co.uk