Casting Study: Shift paddles on a Porsche steering wheel

A zinc die-casting application in the absolute premium range: This award-winning cast part is tangible on the steering wheel of a Porsche sports car and makes acceleration an experience.

The paddles are attached to both sides of the back of the steering wheel and are therefore easy to operate. The simple shape hardly reveals the complexity at first glance, but the elegant design requires an intelligent tool concept. The design of the side contours and the component geometry require a complex slide geometry and design of the separation processing in the casting tool. Due to the requirements in the switching process of perceiving the switching points tactilely and audibly, a particularly precise fit and component surface is required. To achieve this desired haptic perception while driving, the component is ground and polished by machine and by hand after the casting process. The paddles of the Porsche steering wheel are available in the surface variants anthracite wet-painted and chrome-plated.

The cast part is an example of the sustainable choice of materials. After a virtually wear-free usage phase, the paddles can be removed and recycled separately.