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Fabspeed Motorsport | The Birth of an Exhaust: From Steel Pipes to Headers
Get an insider's look at how our T304 stainless steel goes through the transformation of a lifetime, ending up as engineered pieces of art. The birth of Fabspeed's GT3 Long Tube Race Header begins and ends at our production facility in Fort Washington, PA.
Get an insider's look at how our T304 stainless steel goes through the transformation of a lifetime, ending up as engineered pieces of art. The birth of Fabspeed's GT3 Long Tube Race Header begins and ends at our production facility in Fort Washington, PA.
Your choice of finish in factory crinkle black or clear coated billet aluminum
Want more color and customization options? Cerakote coloring and hard anodizing available
Custom color inquiries should click the image below or email sales@fabspeed.com for information
All custom coloring is non-returnable - however, if you’re unsatisfied with your color choice, simply return, pay a small fee, and we will re-coat them! *limit 1 per order*
SHOP TOUR If you’re local to the Philadelphia area or traveling through, we encourage you to stop by and check out our shop. For our friends in other areas, we hope you’ll join us on this brief virtual tour of the Fabspeed Motorsport facility! Welcome to our 26,000sqft headquarters and manufacturing facility located just outside of Philadelphia, PA!
The cars in the showroom are always cycling, but you can count on there always being some very impressive machinery on-hand. Make yourself at home as we work on your vehicle. Relax, handle business, or chat with our tuner before grabbing lunch with your dedicated Performance Specialist. This where the wrenches turn and the magic happens. At any given time we have a wide variety of different vehicles in for research and development as well as in-house installations and upgrades. We can install, develop, and build components for any exotic or high-end sports car, from McLaren’s to BMW’s.
We have a separate office in the shop which is home to our R&D team and recently expanded customer service department. Our Unison all-electric CNC Mandrel Tube Bender, Haas CNC Machining Centers, Bystronic Press Brake, and Flow Waterjet are at the heart of our product manufacturing capabilities. We’ll post more information about our precision manufacturing division in our next post to showcase all the tools and equipment that we work with.
The Fabspeed Dynojet: fresh tunes served daily. In our next post, we’ll dive into some of our R&D and fabrication processes in greater detail. Keep an eye out for our annual Open-House events where we bring together the local exotics community for a full day of shop tours, dyno demos, and exotic cars glistening in the sun! Metal, machinery, and sparks coming soon. Stay tuned!
At the very core of Fabspeed’s business is our development and manufacturing division. Thankfully, our team is comprised of some of the best minds in the business with access to cutting-edge technology and machinery. A perfect example of that technology is our 7-axis Romer CMM Digitizing Arm. This highly precise 3D scanning tool allows us to map out the exhaust tunnel and tubing bends of each new product that we develop, along with various mounting points, brackets, and more.
3D-digitizing and CAD designing components assists us both during and after the initial development period. We’re often asked to make special alterations for customers with aftermarket body kits, track-oriented race setups, and other conditions which warrant unique and additional engineering changes. This data is also invaluable when it comes time to utilize our CAD-driven CNC equipment for the production of precision components. Our Dimension Elite Additive Manufacturing Center (3D printer) has outstanding resolution and makes quick work of many of our prototypes. A prime example is our cast x-pipe which we incorporate into many of our products. This component began life as a digital concept, and went through many different 3D-printed variations before we found the optimal configuration for maximum flow performance. We also 3D-printed quality control gauges and jigs to ensure proper gap fit of our McLaren Supersport X-Pipe Exhaust System with both factory catalytic converters and our HJS-equipped Sport Cats. The beating heart of our manufacturing facility is our Unison Breeze all-electric CNC mandrel tube bender It is capable of bending tubes up to 76mm (3”) in diameter as tight as a 1D radius, and pumps them out quickly and efficiently. The Bystronic Xpert 150-ton press brake is a top-of-the-line sheet bender and looks the part. It’s one of the only press brakes available that doesn’t produce angle errors and is known for having the highest repetition accuracy on the market. This baby makes quick work of our brackets, heat shields, mounting tabs, and more. No, it's not a hot tub. That’s our Flow Mach 4 XD-Series dynamic waterjet cutting station, which uses an 80,000psi stream of water and garnet to carve through metal like butter. A 6’ x 12’ cutting table allows for a wealth of production options. This bad boy can achieve tolerances as tight as ±0.002” and has the capability to cut through up to 6” of solid steel. We use it to cut out everything from flange blanks to
. We utilize two HAAS CNC machines: a VF-2 vertical CNC mill and an ST-20 CNC Turning Center. These sister systems create our custom flanges; countersinking, drilling, and milling within 10/1000ths tolerance for a leak free seal. It may be more cost effective to purchase pre-made flanges, but we prefer to maintain full control over the components we produce with the ability to make alterations at a moment’s notice. Our VF-2 vertical CNC mill boasts a 30" x 16" x 20" (762 x 406 x 508 mm) capacity, 40-degree taper, a 30hp (22.4 kW) vector drive which spins up to 8100 rpm, 20-station tool changer carousel, and a 55-gallon coolant circulation system. We use our RMI UF-50 laser engraver to mark components with “left” and “right” annotations, and even offer a personalization service to really make our parts your own!
All of the fancy machinery on the planet wouldn’t do us any good without our team of highly-talented machinists and fabricators. Our specialists are trained to manipulate metal with all manner of tools and technology. Check out some of our team and equipment in action in our How It’s Made video, which shows the various processes involved in manufacturing our world-famous Porsche Turbo Supersport Exhaust Systems!
Thank you for taking the time to learn about our manufacturing. Next up we'll dive into the origins of Fabspeed and how we’ve grown over the decades.
Get an insider's look at the development, engineering, fabrication and testing of Fabspeed Motorsport's performance exhaust system for the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. See the equipment and techniques that allow Fabspeed to design and build the highest-performing, highest-quality stainless steel exhaust systems in the world. Watch the process from start to finish as the products make their way through the Fabspeed production facility in Fort Washington, PA.