Project:
Automotive Cost Reduction Challenge
Redesigning Aston Martin V12 Bonnet Vent
Aston Martin presented Convert Design with a challenge: redesign the V12 Vantage bonnet vent to significantly reduce cost—without compromising the brand’s signature luxury and performance.
The original vents, crafted from lacquered 2×2 twill carbon fibre, (pictured above), were key to heat management in the tightly packed engine bay. However, high material and tooling costs made them difficult to scale. The business case demanded that any new tooling be paid back within the first year. Internally, there was concern—particularly from sales—that lowering the spec could undermine customer appeal and erode revenue.
DFM Design Expertise from UK Product Development Agency
As a trusted product development agency and industrial design consultancy in the UK, Convert Design approached the project with both engineering precision and commercial awareness.
Using Siemens NX and our deep expertise in DFM design, we delivered a manufacturing-ready solution that met cost, quality, and aesthetic requirements. Our team worked closely with Aston Martin’s design studio, management, and supplier network to ensure the end result was practical, premium, and production-ready.
Engineering and Design Solutions for High-End Automotive Parts
- Delivered a rapid design turnaround using high-precision CAD to meet critical business milestones.
- Designed for real-world tolerances of the existing bonnet, avoiding the need for costly rework or bonnet modification.
- Introduced a preformed strengthening bar beneath the carbon surface—improving structural fit and enabling fast, secure assembly.
- Collaborated with Aston Martin’s metrology team to ensure curvature matched the bonnet exactly.
- Brokered supplier collaboration, helping Aston Martin find a reliable overseas partner capable of premium results within budget.
- Balanced stakeholder needs—delivering a design that satisfied both engineering and sales expectations.
75% Cost Savings Achieved Without Compromising Automotive Design Quality
- 75% reduction in part cost, with no loss of visual or functional quality.
- 50% of customers preferred the new mesh vent style—turning cost savings into a styling option.
- Adopted for a limited run of 15 cars, with a successful production line trial.
- Supplier approved following on-site validation and quality review.
- Flexibility retained: customers could still choose the original carbon louvre vents as an upgrade.
Cost-Effective Automotive Vent Design with Fast ROI for Aston Martin
Convert Design helped Aston Martin create a new, more affordable bonnet vent option—one that stayed true to brand, enhanced choice for customers, and delivered fast return on investment.
Project:
Re-design Airbus landing light drums for safer flight
Even the smallest design detail can carry critical implications in aerospace.
Managing risk in critical systems
While modern aircraft landing lamps are highly reliable, the aviation environment demands the management of even low-probability risks — particularly where fuel systems and heat sources are in close proximity. Airbus identified the potential for fragments or thermal discharge from rare lamp failures to compromise adjacent systems. Their goal was to engineer a light drum that could mechanically contain any failure — even in scenarios unlikely to occur during normal use.
The solution: a precision engineered light drum
Standard metal forming methods couldn’t achieve the depth and structural integrity required. Convert Design developed a bespoke casing geometry suitable for forming in aerospace-grade materials — balancing protection with production practicality.
Convert Design also designed the manufacturing tooling required to produce the part at scale, ensuring consistent quality and seamless integration with the supplier’s production line.
Features:
- Mechanical containment of rare failure modes
- Thermal shielding to limit conductive heat transfer
- CAD and tooling designed for precision manufacture
- Use of advanced forming methods (not stamped or sheet metal)
From failure to flight ready design
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
- Precision CAD development in CATIA V5
- Tooling design for complex geometry forming
- Review against aerospace manufacturing standards
Containment assured. Safety maintained
- Containment achieved across all modelled failure scenarios
- Validated for use near critical systems
- Delivered with manufacturing tooling and production-ready specification
- Seamlessly integrated into production processes
“Our design delivered exactly what was needed — robust, high-integrity design, paired with ready-to-manufacture files and tooling. We anticipated the problems before the customer experienced them.”
Proactive engineering for critical environments
Convert Design helps aerospace suppliers and OEMs reduce risk and meet standards — even for the smallest parts.
As a specialist in DFM design and manufacture-ready CAD using Siemens NX, Convert Design bridges the gap between concept and production. We help brands move fast, stay cost-effective, and never compromise on quality.