RWTH PEM chair opens research site for electric motors with Ford in Cologne
Aachen/Cologne. The “Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components” (PEM) chair at RWTH Aachen University has put a new 1,000 square meter research site for electric motors into operation at the Ford works in Cologne. As part of the “HaPiPro2“With a total volume of 5.3 million euros, one of the most important electric motor components – the so-called hairpin stator – is to be further developed with other partners from business and science by August 2023. In the future, the production technology for different variants of this e-motor component, which is decisive for performance and efficiency, is to be advanced on a prototype demonstration line.
“In the public discussion about e-mobility, a lot of things are efficiently related to the battery – important components such as the electric motor are quickly forgotten,” says PEM head Professor Achim Kampker: “Efficient production processes for e-motors are essential for the success of e-mobility of central importance.” The new infrastructure maps all process steps from hairpin production to assembly processes and laser welding to impregnation and insulation. The aim of the project is to make the previously complex production of electric motors significantly cheaper in the future and thus shorten their time to market.
“For the climate-friendly transport of the future, electromobility is particularly important. NRW is already making an individual contribution here with strong companies from the automotive industry and top-class research,” says Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia: “With the HaPiPro project2 Optimal conditions for groundbreaking innovations are created at the traditional automotive location of Cologne. This is also good news for sustainable, secure jobs.”
“The new plant sets new standards for interdisciplinary cooperation between research and industry for faster production of electric motor components,” emphasizes Oliver Färber, head of the engine plant at Ford-Werke GmbH: “The efficient method of producing different electric motor variants on just one line will probably make a significant contribution to saving raw materials and energy and reducing waste.” The hairpin stators in focus are to be manufactured in the new research facility in truck and car engine sizes using the machines and processes mentioned. This methodology is intended to help make the entire production process for electric motors more flexible, efficient and sustainable. If necessary, the area for the research project can be expanded by 250 square meters. In addition to PEM and Ford, the consortium also includes Thyssenkrupp, Berg Spanntechnik, AMS Anlagenbau and the Aachen-based company ENGIRO as well as the RWTH Chair in Digital Additive Production. More information about the project is below https://t1p.de/tznun to find.
PEM is now active at four locations: At the headquarters in the German-Dutch business park Avantis as well as in the electric mobility laboratory “eLab” on the RWTH Aachen Campus, in the electric truck research hall in Aachen’s east district and at the electric motor research location in Cologne, there are currently a total of 76 researchers, 33 non-scientific employees and more than 130 student assistants are employed. More on this under https://t1p.de/et288 described.
About PEM:
The “Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components” (PEM) chair at RWTH Aachen University was founded in 2014 by “StreetScooter” co-inventor Professor Achim Kampker. In eight research groups, the team includes all aspects of the development, manufacture and recycling of batteries and their components as well as the fuel cell and the production of the electric drive train and entire vehicle concepts. There are a total of 76 researchers, 33 non-scientific employees and more than 130 at the headquarters in the German-Dutch business park Avantis, as well as in the electromobility laboratory “eLab” on the RWTH Aachen campus, in the electric truck research hall in Aachen’s east district and at the e-motor research site in Cologne employed student assistants. The focus of the PEM team is always on sustainability and cost reduction – with the aim of a complete “innovation chain” from basic research to large-scale production in the immediate vicinity.