High Efficiency Electrical Machines enabled by a new UK Additive Manufacturing PEMD Supply Chain

交通电气化是英国到2050年实现净零排放目标的重要要求。最近政府决定到2030年禁止销售新的内燃机汽车，这使得这一问题更加紧迫。我们的汽车行业需要适应这种变化，需要颠覆性的创新来实现英国交通网络中存在的无数用例。这一转变的很大一部分将是电机和驱动装置的改进，它们需要更轻、更强大，并且产量不断增加。增材制造（AM）在提高制造电机的功率重量比方面显示出巨大的潜力，通过新的可能的组件几何形状，可以改善电机内的铜损耗。增材制造还可以快速有效地进行新设计的原型制作和新材料的试验。该项目的重点是氢燃料电池压缩机在这些电机上的最终应用，因为它目前是一个小批量高价值市场，效率是成功产品的关键驱动因素。给完美的利基，其中AM可能是商业上可行的。为了实现这一目标，我们需要开发创新的设计和工艺来开发电机中的铜绕组。最终产品将被彻底表征，因此在必要的绝缘和后处理之前了解其功能和材料性能，以便将其集成到电机中。最后，这些新产品将被集成到一个完整的电机组装和试验。该项目将首次以商业上可行的数量为利基汽车应用展示增材制造铜绕组。该应用程序的高性能、利基特性将确保这些产品在具有竞争力的价格点上的商业可行性。该提案的一个重要成果将是通过将制造的产品与当前可用的产品进行比较，并确定任何潜在的优化或成本降低，进一步举例说明该方法的适用性。这将最终确定每单位和系列工艺的最终成本，并评估该成本和性能范围内产品的可能市场规模。通过该提案开发的技能和能力将确保英国在电机部件增材制造方面保持领先地位，并在我们迈向净零排放的过程中巩固我们汽车行业的持续实力。

The electrification of transport is a vital requirement for the UK to achieve its net zero ambitions by 2050\. The recent Government decision to ban the sale of new ICE vehicles by 2030 has made this even more pressing. Our automotive industry will need to adapt significantly to this change and disruptive innovation will be required to achieve this across the myriad use cases that exist within the UK transport network.A considerable part of this transformation will be in the refinement of electrical machines and drives, which will need to be lighter, more powerful, and produced in ever increasing quantities. Additive manufacturing (AM) has shown immense potential in improving the power to weight ratio of manufactured motors by the newly possible component geometries offering improved copper losses within the motor. AM also enables rapid prototyping of new designs and trialling of new materials quickly and efficiently.This project is focusing on the end application of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Compressors for these motors as it is currently a low volume high value market where efficiency is a key driver in a successful product. Giving the perfect niche where AM could be commercially viable.To achieve this, we will need to develop innovative designs and processes for the development of copper windings in motors. The resultant products will be thoroughly characterised, so their functionality and material performance are understood before the necessary insulation and post-processing to allow their integration into an electrical machine. Finally, these new products will be integrated into a full e-motor assembly and trialled.This project will demonstrate, for the first time, additively manufactured copper windings for niche automotive applications at commercially viable quantities. The high performance, niche nature of this application will ensure the commercial viability of these products at a competitive price point. A significant outcome of the proposal will be to further exemplify the suitability of this approach by comparing the manufactured products to those currently available and identifying any potential optimisation or cost reductions. This will ultimately define a final cost per unit and process in series alongside an assessment of the possible market size for products in this cost and performance range.The skills and capabilities developed through this proposal will ensure the UK retains its leading position in additive manufacturing of electrical machine components and underpin the continued strength of our automotive sector as we move towards net zero.