International Dealer News IDN 139 October/November 2017 | Page 25

Road TRip DISCS engine and stayed in production under licence until 1983, long after Ducati ceased production of the engine for their own or any other manufacturer’s use in 1974. Galfer continued to reduce the use of asbestos for brake components, eliminating it entirely in the early 1990s, and the 1990s also saw the company establish Galfer USA in California and introduce its first catalogue of disc brake pads for motorcycles, containing 45 products in two brake pad composite formulas (Gold and Silver). The 1990s also saw Galfer produce their first cast iron brake discs, quickly followed by stainless steel discs and the registering of their patent for their Disc Wave design in Europe and the USA. The growth of their motorcycle product lines led to the establishment of CMM Motocomponentes, S.L., to distribute motorcycle products in Spain, and by the 2000s the company formed GALFER Auto, S.L. to manage their car products in Spain and completed the new 6,000 sq m (65,000 sq ft) factory they presently occupy at Galfer laser-cut their disc blanks from high carbon content stainless steel sheets with a cut- light that is refrigerated with liquid nitrogen. Galfer can and still do stamp some thicker disc applications requiring large production runs. A tempering process is applied to the steel braking tracks and inners for hardness and elasticity. All the tracks and inner carriers are anti-corrosion cataphoretic coated for durability and finish. Parts requiring additional machining for grooves or holes are milled in-house. The precision parts are assembled producing contact-free tracks and inners. Both sides are ground using traditional large wheel grinders that ensure a perfectly even surface finish with a magnetic cylinder removing paint or steel residues. INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017 25