Lighter tank saves fuel
CLAAS asked us to make a new design for the fuel tank of a combine harvester. These machines weigh a whopping 18 till 20 tonnes and every kilo of weight reduction directly translates into reduced costs. Of course, safety cannot be compromised. The solution is sophisticated product development.
In collaboration with CLAAS, our engineers developed a process where the fuel tank has considerably thinner walls in certain strategic places. The underlying idea is topology optimisation; investigating where the highest pressure is created inside the tank when the combine harvester is in use. We reinforce those places, allowing the rest of the wall to be executed much thinner overall with optimal stability.
Lightweight construction meets all requirements
The fuel tank of a CLAAS combine harvester contains over 1000 litres of fuel. Since a single drop of fuel is enough to contaminate hundreds of litres of water, a full tank carries a lot of responsibility in addition to its weight. Thanks to our technical resourcefulness and high-tech rotational moulding technique, the improved lightweight fuel tanks meet all standards and regulatory requirements.
Supplier of the year
As a result, CLAAS granted Pentas their Supplier of the Year award in 2019, the highest distinction issued by CLAAS. CLAAS also named us their Most Innovative Supplier of the Year back in 2016 and 2018.
