motorcycle carbon parts

Visible carbon parts for Ducati & MV Augusta

In the 1990s, enthusiastic motorcyclist Peter Lieb first designed a variety of carbon covers for his MV Agusta and Ducati motorcycles. At motorcycle meetings across Europe, other bikers showed great interest in these parts. This sales success encouraged Peter Lieb to set up his own company in 1994. Since its founding, Lieb Speed Kunststofftechnik in Veringenstadt has specialized in the manufacture of carbon parts for these two brands, as Peter Lieb "would rather do two things right than many things just by the way."

He knows these two machine series down to the last screw and is therefore a valued contact for motorcyclists and especially dealers, to whom he supplies throughout Europe. Lieb is also the exclusive supplier for a domestic dealer for Triumph motorcycles. With one permanent employee and seven freelancers, the small family business has now established itself as a supplier of carbon parts to motorcycle dealerships, parts dealers, suppliers and online shops.

Peter Lieb, a trained aircraft builder and plastics molder who previously worked in a development company in the aircraft industry, designs all the parts himself and produces them ready for installation. In this way, Peter Lieb ensures that he can adapt the parts flexibly to the customer's wishes and, thanks to CNC machining, can deliver all components precisely and with a perfect fit. Customers from Germany, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands and the USA appreciate that Peter Lieb is always available to answer questions, regardless of whether they have questions about wheel covers, rear parts, timing belt covers, lamp holders, tank pads or other technical details.

Fascination of visible carbon parts

(Editor's note: parts that are not painted over, i.e. the structure is visible from both sides; this means that parts must be manufactured without bubbles on both sides) Part of the fascination of these carbon parts undoubtedly results from the pioneering fiber composite material carbon itself, which impresses above all with its individually possible shaping, structural resilience and extremely low weight.

The requirements for visible carbon parts are extremely demanding, as the highest quality must be ensured during production and processing, as these parts are not painted over and the structure is visible from both sides. The models and molds for the individual parts are developed and created exclusively by Peter Lieb. He then uses a computer program to generate the cutting patterns, which a CNC cutter uses to cut the individual parts out of the carbon fiber mats in the direction of the fibers. These cut parts are then placed in the molds, also in the direction of the fibers, soaked in resin and pressed with the respective internal stamps. Absolute know-how is also required in this step, as visible carbon parts must be produced without bubbles on both sides. After curing in the oven, the blanks are then further processed.

After several years of manual work and a continuing increase in demand for carbon parts 'made by Peter Lieb', the managing director decided three years ago to switch to more efficient processing. Many parts were simply too complicated to be processed by hand and the use of CNC technology became absolutely necessary.

CNC technology of the MD 6 series

Peter Lieb researched the Internet using the search term "five-axis CNC" and came across the name Maka for the first time. He got his first impressions from the website and after a visit to the Fakuma trade fair, despite the great competition, the preference for Maka remained unbroken. After a brief consideration, the managing director decided to go for the CNC center and overall concept from Maka, because the compact MD 6 is designed for highly dynamic small-part machining and Peter Lieb was able to fit the machine perfectly into his production building.

The air supply and extraction are also perfectly coordinated in this concept in order to optimally direct the flying chips. In addition, the magazine plates have been raised in order to be able to change larger tools, as is necessary for various components. The clamping devices are mounted on a quick-change system, some of which consists of several parts, and enable rapid conversion using prepared clamping table plates. The project was implemented smoothly within three months and the machine was working productively after only a short time of conversion. The support from Maka runs smoothly and is absolutely essential for a family business such as Lieb Speed Kunststofftechnik. Since 2003, Lieb has been working with 'CNC technology made by Maka', thus ensuring absolutely consistent quality, better calculability, less waste and, last but not least, faster availability of components.

Conclusion

According to Peter Lieb, the conclusion after three years of continuous use of MAKA technology is absolutely satisfactory. The solid construction with acceptable spindle mount and a very good price-performance ratio is convincing. As a tinkerer, Peter Lieb can write all of his own programs, generate models, teach and thus give free rein to his ideas. "His Maka" willingly implements each of these ideas precisely.