Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Endisch
Head of the Institute for Innovative Mobility (IIMo), Programme director and Academic advisor "Applied Reserach in Engineering Sciences" (Master)
Focus:
- Advancement of needle winding technology through simulation, modeling and practical winding tests
- Introduction and enhancement of automated path and trajectory planning algorithms
- Modeling and system identification of wire behavior and monitoring of the winding process with machine learning and computer vision
- Development and setup of a modular wire identification unit for data-driven modeling of winding wire behavior
- Design and development of an innovative flexible winding system based on a Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm (SCARA)
- Introduction of an automated product engineering process for needle winding technology
Summary:
High demands are placed on traction machines for fully electric and hybrid electric vehicles in terms of quality, power density and costs. To meet these requirements, not only the design of the machine but also its production must be optimized. This need for optimization also affects the production of the copper wire windings.
Needle winding technology without end plates enables precise deposition of enameled copper round wires in the laminated core slots of stators of electric drives. This precise wire deposit offers the potential to achieve maximum copper fill factors in a compact design and to automate downstream process steps in drive manufacturing. Current market developments also show that externally excited synchronous machines are becoming increasingly relevant for use in the drive trains of electric vehicles. This expands the application range of needle winding technology to include the production of optimized concentrated rotor windings.
Within the framework of the publicly funded projects "HochflexibleEMProd" and "ZukunftEMaschine" as well as in a number of cooperative research projects with the industry, extensive know-how in the implementation of optimized winding schemes using needle winding technology has been generated at the Institute for Innovative Mobility. The subject of current research is the pooling and augmentation of existing process knowledge in an automated product development process, with the aim of accelerating innovation cycles and reducing the effort and costs involved in implementing new winding products.
ZukunftEMaschine: Introduction and Advancement of Automated Trajectory Planning for the Highly Flexible Production of Stator Windings in Electrical Machines
The industry standard for the production of rotating magnetic field stators with round copper wires is the insertion technique. This method has disadvantages that are particularly evident in the field of electromobility. On the one hand, the copper filling factor and thus the power density are limited. On the other hand, many manual steps are necessary in downstream processes in production, which lead to high unit costs and major deviations in quality.
The aim of this research project of the FHprofUnt funding guideline is the advancement and optimization of needle winding technology towards a digital product development process, which - similar to CAD/CAM - will enable an automated implementation of electromagnetically optimized windings on flexible needle winding systems. The realization of this process requires the processing of varied topics such as automated dynamic trajectory planning, conception of innovative winding concepts, wire tension modeling and control, use of machine learning for process optimization and development of automation concepts for downstream manufacturing steps.
HochflexibleEMProd: System for Highly Flexible Production of Traction Drive Stators in the Scope of Industry 4.0
By means of a needle winding system with intelligent control, the basic ideas of Industry 4.0 are to be implemented in the field of electric motor production. This will enable a close integration of design, production technology and the physical product, and there is the potential to reduce costs and improve product properties.
As part of the funding project " System for Highly Flexible Production of Traction Drive Stators in the Scope of Industry 4.0 (Highly Flexible EMProd)" of the FHInvest funding initiative, it was possible to realize a system at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt with which the described objectives can be pursued. The project comprised the procurement of a highly flexible needle winding system, a wire identification unit, and other individual components required for operation.
Programming of the winding system using the new approach of intelligent trajectory planning was already possible for commissioning due to the existence of preceding projects. Likewise, before the start of the project, a fundamental investigation of the wire tension behavior with manual devices was carried out. The development of a detailed wire tension model, which is essential for controlling the wire tensile force, is building on the wire identification system realized in the project.
The prototypes produced on the winding machine can be scientifically analyzed using machine learning. The analysis in turn enables the optimization of product and manufacturing processes. Since the end of 2018, the investments made have therefore formed the basis for the further development of needle winding technology at the Institute for Innovative Mobility and will continue to provide many valuable insights for research at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt in the future.
Relevant literature:
Contact
Funding
Both projects are funded by the German federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the Research at Universities of Applied Sciences funding program (grant number ZukunftEMaschine 13FH210PX6, grant number HochflexibleEMProd 13FH077IN6).