Charged EVs | Electric Drive: GROB and ZEISS make manufacturing efficient and flawless

GROB is a pioneer of electromobility: The manufacturing know-how and course of experience of the Bavarian family-owned firm are utilized by greater than two-thirds of all suppliers of EVs. GROB has earned this market management not solely via braveness and foresight, but additionally via prime quality requirements. With its complete portfolio of high quality options, ZEISS helps to at all times obtain these requirements and noticeably improve productiveness.

Electrification is a key financial and ecological success issue – particularly within the mobility sector. It’s typically mentioned that Germany has been left behind internationally with regards to electromobility. However at GROB, a provider of producing and automation methods, they solely smile at such statements. Martin Negele is head of high quality assurance on the long-established Mindelheim-based firm. He says: “At GROB, we acknowledged a number of years in the past that the longer term belongs to e-drives.”  

“At the moment, this was nonetheless a controversial subject, however we took the plunge.” This has paid off: “In the present day, now we have a 67 % market share in stator know-how alone. If you happen to have a look at an e-drive prepare, it is extremely doubtless that our manufacturing know-how is behind it,” Martin Negele explains. GROB earns this main position primarily by striving for uncompromising high quality. To make sure this, the corporate depends on an in depth partnership with ZEISS.

With its Industrial High quality Options division, ZEISS is the one supplier to supply a whole portfolio of state-of-the-art high quality options: “We mix microscopic, tactile and optical measurement know-how to attain optimum outcomes”, says Martin Negele. Which means that even the manufacturing of a demanding half reminiscent of a stator may be totally lined – with most certainty and productiveness.

Stator: Challenges in manufacturing and high quality assurance

Along with many different benefits, the drive know-how of EVs impresses with its essentially easy design: In an electrical motor, a rotating electromagnet, the rotor, turns within the magnetic discipline of an immovable everlasting magnet, the stator. Nonetheless, the manufacturing of those parts, particularly the stator, is something however easy – even when, roughly talking, it solely consists of a sheet metallic housing, the laminated core, and induction coils made from coated copper. Even with such a “easy” element, nevertheless, there are excessive efficiency necessities as we speak. For that reason, automotive producers are additionally more and more utilizing hairpin know-how, i.e. plug-in coils, as an alternative of winding wire coils for his or her stators. 

Hairpin coils have main benefits, together with greater motor efficiency mixed with decrease weight. And hairpins may be mass-produced extra simply and effectively – an vital side in view of the rising demand for EVs.

“As advantageous as hairpins are as a completed product, their manufacture is demanding, particularly with regards to bending and welding”, explains Georg Knoll. In the present day, the skilled welding engineer oversees the welding processes at GROB and manages the workshop testing laboratory. “That’s why now we have to consistently test from incoming items to the completed assembled half: How is the bending habits of the wire, does the geometry match, does the insulation layer of paper sit between the hairpins and the sheet metallic package deal, do the welds match?” As a result of undetected defects can result in lack of efficiency or inoperability, and within the worst case even to deadly injury to the complete drive.

High quality options for the whole manufacturing course of

“Our declare is that we ship a high manufacturing course of to our clients, and our high precedence is uncompromising high quality,” says Martin Negele. “That’s why we additionally take note of high quality assurance options within the manufacturing course of, which meaningfully safeguard each single step. On this means, we at all times present our clients with the understanding of constantly prime quality.” A decisive focus is on the copper wire from which the hairpins are bent. On receipt of the products, a tensile take a look at is first carried out, then a cross-section of the wire is analyzed beneath the microscope with the help of a metallographically floor pattern. The visible inspection gives details about homogeneity and abnormalities on the floor, particularly in regards to the situation of the insulation coatings – points such because the thickness and measurement of the coating layer, dimensional accuracy, and deviations from the CAD mannequin. 

“It’s important for the manufacturing course of that we see how the coiled wire behaves once we uncoil it for additional processing, but additionally when it comes to reverse bending habits,” says Martin Negele. “Solely with this information can we assure constantly good outcomes.” Within the subsequent step, the wire is bent into hairpins and the result’s checked tactilely and optically on a multi-sensor coordinate measuring machine to make sure dimensional accuracy and homogeneity even when prepared for meeting. As soon as the hairpins have been joined within the stack of sheets, additional inspection steps comply with: The welded ends of the hairpins are inspected with a pc tomograph. “As an skilled welding engineer, that is after all significantly vital to me that we do a clear job right here,” says Georg Knoll. “We now have to have the ability to detect pores above a sure measurement or quantity in order that we will modify our processes accordingly.” 

Commonplace from ZEISS used results in 30 % greater productiveness

A look into the measuring room – a corridor of spectacular measurement – reveals a transparent model choice in high quality assurance know-how: one ZEISS machine stands subsequent to the opposite. As coordinate measuring machines, GROB depends on ZEISS PRISMO – one of the exact of its variety. ZEISS ScanBox features as an automatic optical 3D measuring machine – it concurrently allows excessive course of reliability and a excessive throughput. And GROB additionally depends on confirmed ZEISS know-how for microscopy with the ZEISS Axio Imager, an open microscope system for automated supplies analysis. “With solely few exceptions, we constantly depend on options from ZEISS,” explains Martin Negele. 

“And there are a number of causes for this: First, hardly some other provider provides its industrial clients such a excessive stage of service and utility understanding. That merely convinces us repeatedly within the buying section. And: No different provider provides such a complete portfolio with which we will cowl a complete course of such because the manufacturing of a stator.” The truth that nearly all of the units within the measuring room come from ZEISS shouldn’t be an finish in itself, however has tangible benefits, emphasizes Martin Negele: “The uniform ecosystem saves us coaching effort and makes it simpler for our staff to function the totally different options. And it makes workload planning extra versatile and environment friendly.”

Because of this, our productiveness has elevated by 30 %.

Georg Knoll provides: “And when our clients see our high-quality tools from ZEISS, there are not any discussions in any respect about high quality claims or measurement values. They know that we make use of state-of-the-art options; in any case, most of them have ZEISS tools themselves.”

Expertise leaders work collectively on the way forward for e-mobility know-how

Because of the long-standing partnership, a relationship of belief has been established between GROB and ZEISS that goes past a mere supplier-customer relationship. GROB can be a pilot buyer for brand spanking new high quality applied sciences from ZEISS earlier than they’re formally launched in the marketplace, and helps their improvement with suggestions. “This provides us entry not solely to the present state-of-the-art in high quality assurance options, but additionally helps form them,” says Martin Negele. 

“This suits in with our declare that we wish to keep one step forward of our clients, who’re already working at an awfully excessive stage, with regards to high quality. That is significantly vital with new and rising applied sciences reminiscent of e-motors or batteries – there’s a lot to be gained for the pioneers, however provided that they ship high quality. With ZEISS as our associate, now we have the understanding of at all times having the ability to sustain with the leaders.”

ZEISS Industrial High quality Options
info.metrology.us@zeiss.com
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