Manufacturing technology for electro mobility

At the end of January 2017, GROB acquired 100 percent shares in DMG meccanica, substantially reinforcing the competences and developments in electro mobility, which it has been developing for several years. The technologies of DMG meccanica and the new processes developed by GROB will now enable GROB to provide all the vital manufacturing processes and procedures in electric drives for the automotive industry and its suppliers worldwide, and also to supply them for series production in the near future. DMG meccanica has many years of specialization and experience in machinery and plant manufacture for the production of stators for electric motors, alternators andgenerators. The technological know-how is based on the tried-and-tested winding process of inserting technology and needle winding.
Most of the machinery and plant of DMG meccanica is used directly in the automotive industry. GROB develops and tests new processes, developed specially for the series production of stators for electric motors in electric vehicles, in its own development department. The future cooperation is therefore a win-win situation for both companies. GROB has secured further know-how in the field of electro mobility and DMG meccanica has found in GROB a strong, globally- oriented partner for series production. Further investments to expand these technologies in the field of electro mobility are planned at both sites in Turin and Mindelheim.

Closing ceremony- Grob and Dmg meccanica management.

Mauro Marzolla and the father of Marco Debilio founded DMG meccanica in 1992 from a spin-off of one of the leading Italian providers of winding machines for electric motors. In 2016, their company with a workforce of forty employees achieved a total turnover of ten million Euro. Their customer portfolio includes many well-known electric motor manufacturers and suppliers to the automotive industry. DMG meccanica is particularly well-represented in the important e-mobility market of China. Owners Mauro Marzolla and Marco Debilio will stay with the company in future and will continue to be co-CEO´s of DMG meccanica. In addition, DMG meccanica will remain an independent company within the GROB-Group, and all jobs in Italy will of course be retained.

A leading machine tool manufacturer

GROB-WERKE is an internationally active family company based in the Bavarian-Swabian town of Mindelheim, with a product portfolio ranging from universal machining centers to highly complex manufacturing systems including automation, and from machining assembly units to fully-automated assembly lines. GROB is one of the few machine tool manufacturers that produces and supplies both machining and assembly equipment. Since the production of electric motors demands special assembly know-how, it was logical for GROB to seek a competent partner from the field of electric motor technology. Its takeover of DMG meccanica enables GROB to emphasize more than ever its claim in drive technology to be a leading and reliable partner for the automotive industry.

Specialized in the production of elastic component

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Emilio Longoni, Managing Director and General Manager of Mollificio Lombardo.

Specialized in the production of elastic components, Mollificio Lombardo has always identified product quality, operational flexibility and prompt reply to the market as its distinguishing traits. Determinant elements that have shared, in over 80 years of activity (precisely this year falls the 85th since the establishment), in transforming a small workshop into a more and more structured reality.
A family company, characterized by a strong managerial character, coordinated and managed by Emilio Longoni, Managing Director and General Manager, and by ever-growing international bent.
«Today – outlines Longoni – over 35% of our turnover crosses the national borders. A percentage value that will grow further essentially for two reasons. The first concerns the fact that several of our customers have delocalized abroad their production lines. The second involves instead us more directly with our production pole situated in Brazil, in Parana, operating at full rate for about one year now».

The added-value of human resources and product quality

«As important – adds Longoni – are human resources. People who daily contribute in the achievement of our results». Concerning this, the company schedules about 4% of total working hours for training, generating a positive involvement and a direct participation in corporate targets. Skilled personnel and manufacturing performances that allow Mollificio Lombardo to satisfy the most various demands subjected by the market.
«Requests – adds Longoni – that can concern smaller batches of 500-600 units up to lots composed by even millions of pieces yearly».
The product quality is anyway discriminant for all supply types, differentiating element that has permitted and permits the company to stand out on the market, in national and, as already underlined, in more and more international ambit.
«The quality of our products – highlights and ends Longoni – has been granted since 1996 by the compliance and the conformity with UNI EN ISO 9001 regulations. In 2008, we reached the target of the certification for the automotive sector according to the ISO TS 16949 regulation. It is instead under study the attainment of the environmental certification ISO 14000 and of the certification ISO 9100 for the aeronautical industry».

Inspection machines in electric motors production

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Dema is more and more engaged in the development of lines used to produce electric motors for both hybrid and electric cars.
Dema is delivering two inspection lines to check rotor and stator laminations stacks immediately after their production; the lines are used to control the production process and to check that the stacks features are correct. These are the first steps of the powertrain unit assembly process produced by an innovative American electric car maker.
Inspection is a strategic activity in the automotive business to guarantee zero defects; for this reason, Dema has, in the past few years, developed new inspection machines dedicated to check any kind of stack features, including stack height measurement, surface run-out control, welding seams checks, visual checks, cosmetics checks, go-gauges controls on ID, OD, hairpins or magnets slots and more.

The Dema business is focused on laminations and laminations stacks handling. They are worldwide expert on stacking, joining, assembling and inspection.
That means that Dema, thanks to its experiences and its competences, can supply production machineries able to process any lamination dimension, shape and thickness, able to use any joining technology, including bounding technologies, able to produce the full assembled rotor, able to produce the joined stator stack and able to check any kind of components features.
To be closer in line with their customers’ expectations, Dema announces their recent partnership with Comau, one of the current leaders on production and assembling lines in the automotive business.
Comau, with over 40 years of experience in automation and powertrain assembly , will be the right support for the new production requests in electrification projects. Comau, through flexible, modular and scalable assembly systems, grants the highest performance, process repeatability, flexibility and reliability.
With its global footprint, Comau can supply a full system dedicated to EV motors and their project management excellence ensures the added value that customers desire.
Thanks to this, the powertrain unit producers and their suppliers can be in touch with a leading team involving the experts of each process step.

Implemented factory: a job every 71 seconds

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Cassioli Group is specialized in the supply of plant engineering solutions for the automated handling and the industrial automation. Renowned for its products with high technological content and the development of “turn-key” solutions, the Group has supplied Lear Corporation, reference world partner for the supply of car seats, with the new factory at Redditch (UK) where they manufacture up to 1,200 jobs a day (job stands for the set of front/rear seats), with a performance providing for a job every 71 seconds.
«The factory – explains Vincenzo Campanella, marketing manager of Cassioli Group – includes the assembling lines equipped with all the relative handling and shipment system».

Target of the supply was installing two new assembling lines for the production of car seats (front and rear lines) and an automatic shipment system to manage and to load on trailers the products to be delivered to final customers.
More in detail, the assembling line for front seats consists of: a double transport level chain provided with two pneumatic lifts for the automatic return of void plates to the lower level; a test and repair area with 9 stations for electric tests, 3 stations for Delphi tests and 3 for repair (with relative entry to the re-machining stations and exit for loading on truck); a control panel with HMI devices to manage the entire line.
«Similar to the line for front seats – adds Mr Campanella – also the one for rear seats can boast – in addition to the control panel with HMI devices to manage the entire line – also a dual transport level and two pneumatic lifts. The test and repair area provides instead for 5 stations for electric tests and 2 for repair. In this case, too, with relative entry to re-machining stations and output for loading on trucks».
The automated shipment system is more articulated, starting from the mezzanine intended for hosting the management of superimpositions. This is subdivided into two main lanes, the one of front seats and the one of rear seats. Conveyors have 3 levels: the upper level is for seats that move from assembling lines to shipment trailers, the intermediate level and the lower one are arranged for the return of empty pallets.

«Shipment lines – ends Mr Campanella – include then also 8 lifts to connect the conveyors on the ground floor with those on the mezzanine, 2 re-sequencing shuttles on each floor that transport repaired seats and 2 specular warehouses to stock up the already sequenced seats».
Finally, in addition, 2 lines of empty stacked pallets positioned at the head of warehouses acting as feeding devices and a simulated hosting system for already sequenced seats ready for loading on trailer. In this case as well, the presence of 2 control panels with HMI devices allows managing the entire system.

Improvement of product development cycle for automotive industry

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Established in 1969, Casati Stampi is specialized in the cold forming of sheet metal, activity performed by its factory at Biassono (MB), on a total surface of 15,000 sq.m., of which 6,000 covered, with a production intended for export by 80%. Dynamic and reactive, the company has always invested in research, development and technological innovation, with an approach that today allows it to play a protagonist role as supplier of the major brands in the household appliance and, especially, automotive industry. «Automotive – explains Nicolò Casati – that today represents about 70% of our production, constantly rising value for some years now». Concerning this, determinant was the owners’ decision, in 2013, of planning a growth and development strategy in this field. With these preliminary conditions, Nicolò Casati in person, recently graduated, starts organizing a sale network aimed at providing more visibility in the sector and today boasting one sales office in Turin area and one in Switzerland, entrusted with the German-speaking market. «Meanwhile – adds Casati – automotive and its requisites have required the ISO TS 16949 Certification».

Casati Stampi carries out its activity by the factory at Biassono (MB), on a total surface of 15,000 sq. m., of which 6,000 covered.

Already ISO 9001 certified, still in 2013 the company employs a recently graduated female professional to take care of the quality assurance. A new resource who, together with another young, an engineer at the head of production and process improvement, allows attaining the Certification with TÜV SÜD in the lapse of six months. Today, 4 years later, Casati Stampi has then succeeded in becoming a reference player in the automotive supply, with the yearly 25% growth. «An ambitious result – adds Casati – whose achievement has needed, in addition to the huge investment for the personnel’s training, a decisive investment in technologies to enhance our manufacturing performances». Casati Stampi has in fact completed the already broad and diversified machine fleet with a new mechanical press with transfer lines (1,000 tons with a 4,600 x 1,800 mm worktable), besides equipping a new wire welding department with robotic isles, for tack and projection welding.
«Moreover – underlines Casati – in full conformity with the logics dictated by Industry 4.0, we have also implemented a new managerial software that is permitting us to make all digital internal information flows even more linear and fast. This means providing our customers with an even more punctual and effective service, job order after job order».

Casati Stampi has completed the already broad and diversified machine fleet with a new mechanical press with transfer lines (1,000 tons with 4,600 x 1,800 mm worktable).

Increasingly structured, the company can therefore manage and coordinate the entire product development cycle, from the design to the finished and assembled product, through activities of research and process engineering, design, manufacturing, die tryout and testing, sheet metal forming (production), bonding/co-stamping of polyethylene with sheet metal. With the possibility of completing the component production with special treatments and/or finishes. «Relying on the implementations accomplished until now – ends Casati – we look at the future with the awareness we can rely not only on technologies and innovation but also on a team of motivated and skilled people. Each function is entrusted to a senior person, with historic role in the company, in collaboration with a young graduate. I believe this pair represents the best synergy in the name of continuity, to face the new challenges at best in a more and more global and competitive market».

Constant innovation in windings

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CAME

With 250 employees, 5 manufacturing plants taking up a total of 26,000 sq. m. of surface, Came can produce over 30,000 windings and more than 15,000 casings daily, with solutions developed for national and international customers, operating in the sectors of electric motors, traction motors, gearmotors and pumps. Ready to celebrate its first 40 years of activity, the enterprise (today parent company of a network of businesses belonging to the same owners) prosecutes its growth and consolidation course and it can boast to be the only supplier, in Italy and in Europe, able to provide aluminium die-casts, wound stators, processing and assembly.
Activity carried out in productive units located at a distance of a dozen of kilometres one another: Crespadoro (VI) pole houses the departments for the cable wiring for connections and semi-automatic winding; the automatic winding division is instead headquartered at Molino di Altissimo (VI); the phases of finishing, motor connection and housing are instead performed by the pole at San Pietro Mussolino (VI), where is present also the headquarter; finally, die-casts are executed by the manufacturing unit at Chiampo (VI).

View of Came headquarters at S.Pietro Mussolino (VI).

In particular, at Chiampo they carry out die-casts with a range of products including removable feet and bosses from Mec 56 to Mec 132, die-casts with inserted feet from Mec 56 to Mec 132, besides die-casts upon customers’ specific designs. «A production automated by robots – explains the managing director, Cristian Chilese – for parts that range from few grams up to over 21 kilos each, with a loading capacity varying from 320 to 1,400 tons». Strategic for Came, the die-cast division has been recently enlarged with the integration of new presses and process automations.

Constant innovation in windings

Strategies and targets of constant enlargement also for the implementation of windings, manufactured by Crespadoro and Molino di Altissimo poles and representing the majority of the applications for the electric motor. «Concerning this – specifies Chilese – we have made huge investments to widen the range, especially for the production of low-voltage windings, then widely used in the automotive sector, in electric cars and forklifts». Concerning AC motors, Came can produce copper and aluminium windings, with finish for use under inverter, manual windings and for high-efficiency applications (IE1 – IE2 – IE3 – IE4), besides low-voltage ones.
«We have been equipped for some time – adds Chilese – also to implement windings for DC motors, with independent poles, i.e. BLDC, brushless direct current, blanked stators or sectors ». To succeed in providing an all-round service, Came is structured also for the housing in casing and the assembly of all winding types (from Mec 56 to Mec 180). Besides, it can supply all die-cast components like shields and flanges machined upon customers’ designs and ready for assembly. Company’s feather in the cap is also the R&D office, which assists and supports customers in the design of motors and die-cast components. «Research, development and technical assistance – ends Chilese – are granted on all components, together with competence and support for the development of windings and the collaboration in the development of high energy efficiency products».

Original solutions upon customers’ demand

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Bluergo is specialized in the design and manufacturing of electromagnetic and electronic components. Thanks to the experience gained in over thirty years of activity in the enamelled wire world, it operates in various sectors and can offer catalogue or tailored products, with a highly competitive quality-price ratio.
Structured with a factory in Italy, in Castelfranco Veneto, close to Treviso, and one in Slovakia, in Rimavska Sobota, ideal barycentric locations for higher reactivity and better logistics, the company intends to represent a qualified partner, able to design, to develop and to implement original solutions upon customers’ demand, in compliance with the most severe qualitative standard, appreciated on a world scale for its tachometer coils for the motors of washing machines and dishwashers, for its pump stators and over-moulded coils, during last years Bluergo is becoming an important reference company also for the automotive industry. Thanks to its efficient and flexible structure, it can offer cutting-edge technological solutions at competitive costs also in this sector, a growing market that today absorbs over 20% of its production.

From the wire to the finished product

The copper wire winding has always represented the company’s core business. Bluergo, however, thanks to the constant focus strongly oriented to research and innovation, has completed it with systems for assembling, shearing, welding and moulding of polymers, enabling the supply of a complete product meeting customers’ requirements.
Therefore, the company has specialized in the most refined techniques of coil over-moulding as well as in the engineering of moulds and equipment for volume-manufacturing and testing.
In this context, the differentiating element for Bluergo is the capability of representing not only a mere winding supplier but a real qualified partner, a “problem solver” company able to supply complete packages, suiting its customers’ needs: from the technical feasibility analysis to the co-design and virtual prototyping activity, from the fast-sampling of samples to the design and implementation of facilities for mass-production.
Bluergo’s know-how and experience represent an important resource at disposal of all partners for the qualitative improvement and the technological evolution of products, including mass-produced ones.
The company’s R&D, in fact, is at disposal of all customers to perform the product development at best, taking care of each single job order from the initial design and prototyping phase until the definitive production certification. A competent and organized reality able to propose innovative engineering solutions, also through a “make or buy” analysis if customers are researching cost efficiency in already mass-produced items.

Hairpin technology for automated assembling

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he flexibility of the machines designed and manufactured by Atop allows implementing stators with variable shapes and sizes.

In 2016, around 800,000 electric cars were sold in the world, with the 40% rise compared to the previous year. As many as 63% of them are BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), i.e. cars whose propulsion is directly supplied by an electric motor powered by batteries.
A more and more significant prevalence that is constantly growing; within 2020, the offer of this vehicle typology on the European market is expected almost to triple, rising from the 20 currently available models to the foreseen 54.
According to the data provided by the E-Mobility Report study carried out by Energy & Strategy Group of Milan Polytechnics in 2016, it is also evident that the world market of the electric mobility is scoring impressive growth rates. To be competitive in this market it is important to bet on the technological innovation of electric-traction motors, which must be increasingly compact, lighter, with higher performances and low consumptions. Atop is specialized in supporting customers in each project phase, backing them in the achievement of this important target.

Winding and assembling line of stators with hairpin technology for prototypes and low manufacturing volumes, designed and produced by Atop.

First, the company executes an analysis of the customer’s product, which needs an engineering assessment aimed at the motor industrialization. Afterwards, it implements the prototypes that allow testing the manufacturing feasibility. Once approved the project and tested its efficiency, Atop produces the machines for the automated assembling of electric motors with hairpin technology, offering the suitable automation level for the demanded productivity.

Flexibility and performances for prototypes and small batches

The special winding hairpin technology, already integrated by Atop in fully automated lines for the production of electric motors for starter and electric- and hybrid-traction motor applications, has been further developed.
The result of the technological progress achieved allows the implementation of very flexible machines, suitable for both the development of prototypes and the mass-production with low production volumes.
The flexibility of Atop machines allows customers to produce hairpin stators with variable shapes and sizes, manufacturing with the same plant motors with different technical specifications.
The machines perform the processes of slot insulation, hairpin forming and insertion, enlargement and twisting, cutting, repositioning and laser welding of terminal wires.
Each operation is carried out with utmost precision and speed, granting an optimal control of every phase of the manufacturing process. The machines implemented by Atop grant the highest flexibility, reliability and user friendliness, exploiting as strong point the capability of offering customized solutions, aimed at satisfying customers’ specific demands, even the most complex, worldwide.

A new technology implementing electric head commutators

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Using a minor quantity of copper is a possible thanks to the development of a new manufacturing technology, based on cold moulding.

Reference partner in the production of hook-type electric commutators for A.C. and D.C. motors, Cagnoni operates on the market with a very broad range of products (diameters starting from 15 up to 30 mm), suitable for small appliances, automatic door-opening systems, automotive, power-tools, and so on. Such products are implemented starting from a continuous element (copper tube of 5 m) exploiting a unique up-to-date technology, which provides for obtaining the internal grips of the commutator bars from that part of semi-finished product that would be then removed by the successive milling phase.
In that way, no copper is added to create the gripping itself.
That process, developed by Osimo (AN) company itself, will enable a minor waste of raw materials, without affecting the product quality and granting total reliability and extreme flexibility to its customers.
Concerning the sector of electric head commutators, the last decade has been characterized by more and more articulated and interacting competitive factors, summarized in the following points: reduction of sale prices, decrease of component costs, rise of the contents and of the performances of electric motors, increase of the reliability and duration demands.
The offer excess compared to the demand, together with the appearance of unbranded products on the market and, especially, of big low cost producers, have determined a price fall and a standardization “towards the middle” of the functional characteristics of products. In this context, the sector companies’ challenge consists in enhancing the quality and the variety of the offered services by seizing, for instance, the potentialities made available by new technologies.

Increase performances and tear the costs down

The primary manufacturers of electric head commutators use a consolidated technology that provides for the assembly of copper bars (manufactured through cold drawing, successive parting-off and eventual removal of material in excess) around opportune positioning cages. Then they proceed to the moulding of the thermosetting resin to fix the position of bars, to the milling to create voids on the head, the undercutting to eliminate insulating material present between one bar and the other, to turning to achieve the final geometry and, finally, to finishing operations. A technology that certainly allows implementing components that feature good performances and quality but nevertheless, still today, affected by a series of problems and criticalities among which the main ones concern: the use of a big quantity of raw material (copper) connected with the fact that the piece geometry is obtained by stock removal.

Complete motor.

The need of removing the insulating material from the sliding surface of the brush (undercutting) which implies quite long machining times, due to the particular product geometry (accentuated head overhang), it is necessary to use cutters with very small diameter (about Ø 10mm) that perform a very low feed speed (scarce product productivity).
Moreover, the undercutting needs a very precise cut positioning, with the result of calling for level electronics (tracking mode cutting) and of producing anyway a certain quantity of non-compliant products.
The inner gripping of the commutator bar, realized through a big T-shaped protuberance, it too of copper, which notably increases the mass to be held while rotating.
Dealing with the current above-described survey, it is therefore obvious that the development guidelines of the reference market precisely converge towards an ever-growing demand for new technologies, for increasingly performing products at low costs. Research and development, strongly pursued by Cagnoni itself, over the last few years was aimed at studying, experimenting and developing an alternative technology to the conventional ones used by competitors today.
Such technology, which provides for cold moulding (instead of the traditional stock removal machining), will permit to manufacture copper head commutators (therefore optimizing the use of raw materials) with better final characteristics, lower industrial costs than those applied on the market today and with both economic-productive and environmental benefits.
Therefore, the company’s R&D department intends to create a different product/process from the present state-of-the-art.

Customized projects and virtual prototyping techniques

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The use of virtual prototyping techniques allows competing and standing out in a market turning out to be increasingly dynamic and fast. The analysis of the stamping process through the finite element simulation allows assessing the relations among the various geometrical parameters of tool equipment and the necessary magnitudes to estimate the project validity; without implementing the numerous physical prototypes that would be necessary to succeed in defining correctly a method assuring the geometrical and dimensional tolerances demanded by customers.
This characteristic allows Bora, company headquartered at Moie di Maiolati Spontini (AN) that performs the activities of design, manufacturing and maintenance of tools (besides the sheet metal stamping of components for the automotive and household appliance industries), to offer a co-design service of the component together with final customers, thus reducing critical zones already in a preliminary phase; in addition to a drastic reduction of direct costs connected with the physical prototyping (design and implementation) and of the indirect costs linked with the testing phase.

Shaping the operations for perfect results

The main problems that generally emerge depend on the shape and on the characteristics of the piece to be implemented. In particular, for components characterized by small sizes compared to the thickness and by high deformation gradients, are critical the operations that affect the formability and the thickness reduction due to the deformation.

Using finite-element virtual simulation techniques and relying on the long-term experience gained by the company in the sector, it is possible to model correctly roughing and forming operations, to propose possible modifications of the element shape to the customer. This to improve the feasibility and the attainable thicknesses in short times while providing highly reliable indications. To the ends of a correct simulation of the stamping process, the company’s technical department manages both purely geometrical aspects (such as the shape of tools), and information about the material behaviour (by which are modelled the elastic response, the work hardening, the anisotropy and the formability diagram through the data provided by the supplier of raw materials), and dynamic aspects of the tool (such as the friction between the sheet metal and the various tools, the force and the position of the elastic members controlling the blank holders).

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