Development of a world-leading innovative new workholding solution for the manufacture of Electric Vehicle drivetrain components.

先进制造业对英国经济至关重要。以下节选自《英国政府产业战略，2019年6月》；“英国汽车行业是一个伟大的成功故事。这对英国经济非常重要……它直接在汽车制造业雇佣了15.9万名员工，另外还有23.8万名员工在供应链上，其中大多数在伦敦和东南部以外。旅行限制导致了大量的经济损失和失业。来自制造技术协会的数据显示，2月至4月间，英国汽车产量下降了99.7%。先进制造业使用精密的机床。Craftsman Tools是一家位于西约克郡的中小企业，设计和制造工件夹具设备（定位和夹紧组件到机床上的设备）。与先进制造领域的大多数公司一样，Craftsman的订单量因2019冠状病毒病而大幅减少，这给Craftsman带来了财务压力。该项目将使Craftsman能够利用其专业知识设计和开发一种新的工作夹具概念，最初针对生产电动汽车的公司。该装置将使摩擦焊接过程将传动轴绑定到单个电机上。关键的是，我们将开发工作保持设备，将持续在恶劣的制造环境，以确保所要求的几何公差可以实现。这对于从电动机到车轮的有效动力传递至关重要。目前传动轴是通过减法加工（去除金属以产生所需的形状）生产的。拟议的开发将降低生产成本，增加传动轴的强度，并略微减少生产零件所需的能量。一旦设备开发成功，我们打算将目标对准所有生产电动汽车的公司。2019年，电动汽车销量增长了25%。预计长期增长还将显著增加。电动汽车将是实现政府“净零温室气体排放”目标的关键。我们是一家积极追求平等、多元化和包容性的公司，我们的组织和我们的创新方法。

Advanced manufacturing is essential to the UK economy. The following extracts are from 'The UK Government Industrial Strategy, June 2019';''The UK automotive sector is a great success story.It is hugely important to the UK economy ... it employs 159,000 people directly in vehicle manufacturing, with an additional 238,000 in the supply chain, most outside London and the South East ''Covid 19 has had a massive negative effect on this industry. Travel restrictions have resulted in massive financial and job losses. Figures from the Manufacturing Technologies Association show that the production of cars in the UK fell by 99.7% between February and April.Advanced Manufacturing Industries use sophisticated machine tools. Craftsman Tools an SME based in West Yorkshire, designs and manufactures workholding equipment (the device that locates and clamps the component on to the machine tool)Like most companies in Advanced Manufacturing Craftsman has seen its order intake reduce significantly resulting from Covid 19, this has put a financial strain on Craftsman.This project will enable Craftsman to use its expertise to design and develop a new workholding concept initially targeted at the companies who produce electric vehicles. The device will enable a friction welding process to bind the drive shaft to individual motors. Critically we will be developing work holding equipment which will last in the harsh manufacturing environment to ensure the required geometrical tolerances can be achieved. This is essential in efficient transfer of power from the electric motor to the wheel.Currently the drive shafts are produced by subtractive machining (metal is removed to produce the required shape). The proposed development will reduce the cost of production, increase the strength of the drive shaft, and marginally reduce the amount of energy required to produce the part.Once a successful device has been developed, we intend to target all companies who are producing electric vehicles. In 2019 the sales of electric cars increased by 25%. It is expected the long-term growth will be significantly more.Electric vehicles will be crucial in achieving the government target of 'net zero greenhouse emissions.We are a company who actively pursues, equality, diversity, and inclusion in our organisation and our approach to innovation.