Research & Development.

Key-word:
innovation.

Fontana combines challenging shapes and avant-garde processes and materials to produce top quality products.

Always ready to further study new developments concerning processes and materials, Fontana Group pays particular attention to innovations related to light alloys and unconventional sheet forming processes like Blow forming, the unique technology it created to shape materials into all imaginable forms.

Materials.

Fontana Group uses only the most innovative materials.
In particular, we choose three kinds of material to create quality products:

  • High-strength aluminium alloys
  • Magnesium alloys
  • Carbon-fibre composite materials

Processes and
technologies.

Each step of Fontana Group’s processes is managed by a team of experts.

Parts are manufactured according to the specific features of the raw material and the final design concept.

  • Hot stamping of high-strength aluminium alloys
  • Laser welding of aluminium alloys
  • MIG/TIG/CMT/SPOT welding
  • Laser cut
  • Manual or robotised assembly
  • Self piercing
  • Glueing assembly
  • Hemming (blade, roller)
  • Curing (oven, induction, infrared, chemical)

Additive
manufacturing.

Additive manufacturing means progress and innovation, two key factors that are reflected in a unique approach to production.

This technique makes it possible to create geometrically complex parts that normally are beyond the reach of traditional technologies.
But Additive manufacturing is even much more…

Every single part can be modified an infinite number of times before production, thanks to the extreme versatility of this technology.

The original structure of each part can also be customised and optimised for all eventualities, in particular to reduce the components’ weight or increase their strength.

Fontana Lab.

Fontana LAB is the internal laboratory supporting the R&D and production departments.
Fontana’s machinery at hand and the specialisation of its technicians allow for accurate and thorough work in the testing and production phases, meaning we can supply our customers with perfect products and processes in every respect.

Thanks to Fontana LAB state-of the-art machinery and a team of experts, we are able to pay close attention to the parts in each production stages. Numerous possible tests can be carried out to fit a wide category of production.

  • TENSILE TESTS

  • HARDNESS TESTS

  • METALLOGRAPHY

  • MECHANICAL TESTS AND MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF WELDED JOINTS (laser, arc, resistance)

  • MECHANICAL TESTS AND MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF SELF-PIERCING RIVETING (SPR), CLINCHING, GLUE ASSEMBLING

Striving for excellence.

Research & Development are key words in Fontana Group DNA.

The R&D department has fostered active interaction between internal and external research units, allowing the breakthrough of major technological innovations.

In this respect, the Group has been collaborating for quite some time with renowned R&D Centres and prestigious Universities, both in Italy and abroad.

These partnerships foster a continuous exchange of new ideas and methodologies, and represent a constant stimulation to maintain high the efficiency and quality of Fontana products.

Universities and R&D Centres.

ITALY
  • Politecnico di Bari
  • Università della Basilicata
  • Università della Calabria
  • Politecnico di Torino
  • Politecnico di Milano
  • Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca
  • Università di Palermo
  • Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata
R&D CENTERS
  • CNR Icmate
  • Centro Ricerche Fiat
ABROAD
  • ETH Zürich
  • Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)
  • Eindhoven University of Technology
  • Technical University from Cluj-Napoca