CVE and Ford improve production of electric motor stators with electron beam welding

Cambridge Vacuum Engineering[1] (CVE) and Ford[2] have completed a GBP430,000 Innovate UK[3]-funded EB-eDrive project, using electron beam welding in the manufacture of electric motor stators Under Innovate UK's Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge, CVE and Ford demonstrated that electron beam welding can enhance the quality of electric motor stators and improve production consistency, paving the way for broader industrial adoption. The findings from this project could help enhance the production of electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK and contribute to the nation's net-zero carbon goals.

While the demand for electric vehicles is increasing, several barriers still restrict widespread adoption, largely due to pricing. One crucial factor is the production of motor stators, which require precise engineering to optimise performance, efficiency, and durability.  Using CVE's proprietary technology, the two partners demonstrated that electron beam welding is an effective and reliable method for joining copper hairpin stators and that it:

• It does not require any preparation of the hairpins, as the electron beam does not suffer from reflectivity issues like infrared lasers do
• Produces strong welds, displaying, on average, a tensile strength six times the minimum limit
• Allows for easy outgassing due to the use of a vacuum environment, resulting in completely pore-free welds in oxygen-free (OF) copper

Bob Nicolson, CEO of CVE, said, "As automotive brands look to deliver higher performance, longer range electric vehicles at lower costs, it's clear that electron beam welding has a major role to play.

We are seeing the same story play out in other industries - for example, in the energy sector, where electron beam welding can enhance the production of wind turbine monopiles and nuclear pressure vessels. We are grateful to Innovate UK for this funding. Projects like this open the door for the commercialisation of advanced manufacturing technologies and will help the UK remain at the forefront of electric vehicle production.

We look forward to working with Ford moving forwards."
 
Lee Turner, director of EU Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering at Ford, said, "The Ford Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering team are continuously engaged in work to deliver improvements in the quality and efficiency of motor (stator) hairpin weld processes. Our developments of laser parameters set-up and repair processes have been industry-leading, but we now see a clear opportunity to make significant further progress through the potential adoption of Electron Beam welding. We are grateful to have collaboration partners like CVE to work with as we investigate routes to full-scale industrialisation of this technology.

Their unparalleled knowledge, experience and expertise are invaluable in the delivery of the project."
 
Venn Chesterton, deputy director, Driving the Electric Revolution, at Innovate UK, said, "This project has brought together multiple actors within the UK advanced electronic manufacturing ecosystem to develop a truly world-class technology, which is going to be used in manufactured at scale in the UK and around the globe.

This is just one example of the numerous projects backed by Innovate UK, which are ensuring that UK manufacturing supply chains will prosper from electrification."

References

1. ^ Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (camvaceng.com)
2. ^ Ford (www.ford.co.uk)
3. ^ Innovate UK (ukri.innovateuk.org)