Wrathall Mark wrote:
I got back from the weekend and have read up the whole Wankel GmbH thread.
Before I dive into chasing down Hr. Bax, have you already contacted him over
the weekend?
Based on the recommendations of Butch, the only products which appear
marketable at this point are the LCR 407 (38 hp one rotor) and the LCR-814
(75hp twin rotor). The personal watercraft market would be nice if you could
get in. Freedom is trying that according to their website.
The single rotor was offered at one stage in carburated configuration for
racing go-karts. The aircraft engine included EFI and a belt redrive. How
attractive would these items be? I hate the idea of a belt redrive on a
rotary, but the UL guys like them right? As I remember the pictures of the
LCR-407, there was a lot of sand casting.
My current list of questions for Hr. Bax would be:
Who is the contact person for the receivers?
What are the specifics of each patent offered?
How many aviation engines of each type are in service, and what are the
liablity responsibilities under german law for these engines?
How many current orders are outstanding?
Are the tooling/patterns/jigs/current manufactured assets for the LCR- 407
and LCR-814 for sale separate from the heavy fuel LOCR series?
Would the EFI system design and tooling be included? Redrive?
At what asking price?
Would the sale of tooling be subject to German export restrictions?
What patents are required to manufacture the LCR engines?
Do any subcontracters have existing stock of finished components?
Would a royalty agreement for the use of the required patents be considered?
Would Hr. Bax be available on contract basis as a technical consultant?
If any one else has any other good questions, and Paul hasn't already got
answers to these from Hr. Bax, then I will try and get some answers for
them. My guess is that Juergen Bax is under a fair bit of stress currently,
so if someone else has personal contact with him, they may be more
successful than a stranger. I speak German, but assume he speaks good
english.
Mark Wrathall
I have not tried to contact him yet.
Sounds like a very good list to me Mark. It might be cheaper
to copy the engine and pay for new tooling than be forced to buy
all the excess baggage that goes along with Wankel GmbH Germany.
I would would focus on something I knew something about and that is the
ultra light market. Racing go carts organizations can put you out of business
overnight by a simple change in the rules. Particularly if you dominated.
Engine power to weight ratio and long term durability, unlike with aircraft,
are not over riding considerations in go cart racing. Every body is forced
into the same boat by the rules. If you came up with a better engine for
ultra lights no organization in the US could out law your product providing
it was safe.
Therefore I would not mess with the one rotor. I would try to get one
good product out in one good market and build cash flow. Specifically the LCR-814
75 hp twin rotor. I would make only necessary changes to improve the
durability and quality. Probably go with detonation gun coatings as they
are very reliable and are widely used in the turbine industry.
The belt drive seems to be reliable so I would stick with that for awhile.
For future product long term development a planetary drive would give a cleaner
installation providing we can get the cost down to that of the belt drive.
I would also stick with carbs if they proved to be cheaper than EFI.
I suspect cost is far more sensitive in ultralights than it is in
larger experimentals. For future product long term development
I would work on better breathing and higher RPM.
Juergen speaks excellent english.
Paul Lamar
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