Ford launches rattle battle

Taking a brand new car out on the road only to discover it has an inexplicable rattle can be infuriating. So Ford has worked out how to design cars that are guaranteed not to rattle when they roll off the production line (GB 2363225). Computer-aided design software divides a prototype car into a number of cubes, each subdivided into smaller “buckets” representing groups of car parts. The CAD program then analyses each cube to predict which of its buckets could touch and rattle, or move the cube into contact with a neighbour and create a knock-on rattle risk. The risks…