It all starts with an idea.
The designers at BBS are continuously reinventing the classic wheel design. This requires numerous sketches, drafts and computer graphics, which are created in BBS in-house design studio in idyllic Schiltach.
Prototyping
The history of BBS began over 50 years ago in idyllic Schiltach. Even today, craftsmanship is at the heart of every high-quality BBS wheel. After checking the technical feasibility, individual prototypes the first 3D designs are created from the sketches and draft designs. Each and every BBS wheel is unique. From the prototype and its subsequent development through to mechanical processing, each BBS wheel is finished by hand.
Foundry
To transform the aluminum, which has been heated to over 1,000 degrees Celsius, into a stunning BBS light alloy wheel, our foundry workers require an immense amount of skill as well as a number of high-precision tools. The liquid metal is first temporarily stored in four holding furnaces before it is poured into the machine furnaces. The low-pressure casting process is when the liquid raw material is poured into the mold. The wheel blank is then cooled in a water bath. After about seven minutes, the newly created BBS wheel is still at a temperature of 400 degrees Celsius.
Quality control
Very few companies are as consistently associated with their pursuit of excellence, innovative solutions and original approaches as BBS. From the very beginning, BBS light alloy wheels have proven their precision and functionality under the most extreme conditions. Following the casting process, all rims undergo an X-ray inspection in a highly specialized process.
Flow forming and thermal treatment
Depending on its design, the light alloy wheel is subjected to thermal treatment and the flow forming process. In the flow forming process, the rim well is rolled out under high pressure and the material is compacted. The thermal treatment takes about six hours. The rims undergo another round of thermal treatment at a temperature of over 500 degrees Celsius to achieve the perfect strength. Nothing is left to chance in the BBS manufacturing process. Following a quenching water bath, the wheels are put in the furnace at around 150 degrees for a further six hours to loosen up. This cycle significantly improves the mechanical characteristics of the wheels.
Precision machining
Drilling, milling, turning: Highly specialized CNC machines specially developed for BBS process each wheel to its final dimensions within a matter of seconds. During finishing, each wheel is deburred and checked for any unevenness. The highly qualified employees of BBS check that every single BBS alloy wheel meets our high quality standards once more before sending them off to the paint shop.
Lacquer finish
A perfect shine, beautiful surface finish and long-lasting quality are the ingredients for every BBS light alloy wheel: alloy wheels of the highest standards, created with perfect craftsmanship and manufactured using state-of-the-art technologies. A perfect shine, beautiful surface finish and long-lasting quality are the ingredients for every BBS light alloy wheel: alloy wheels of the highest standards, created with perfect craftsmanship and manufactured using state-of-the-art technologies. Our paint shop in Herbolzheim satisfies the most stringent technical requirements. After the base coat has been applied, this is where the light alloy wheels are coated with the desired color. Drying, painting and special surface finish treatments are carried out at our factory in Herbolzheim using state-of-the-art technologies.
Processing center
Every BBS light alloy wheel is finished at our processing center in Herbolzheim. A wide number of customization options are available, which enables the rims to be made even more unique. Burnishing, pad printing or even lasering and ceramic polishing are just some of the possible finishes for BBS wheels. The result is high-quality light alloy wheels with a unique shine and an unprecedented range of customization options. True to the tradition of BBS, the material, surface design and quality of the wheels are continuously being improved.
