Electrified Powertrain Pilot line for manufacturing Engineering
Description
The project's aim is to create unique capabilities for ultra-high-volume manufacture of next generation powertrain. The consortium consists of the manufacturing engineering and machine tool builder supply chain of these new powertrains. The consortium will develop new processes and test them at rate and will integrate new manufacturing concepts based on Industry 4.0 and could lead to a complete digital clone of the factory. The ambition of the consortium is to merge new process and powertrain technologies with the latest advancements in digital manufacturing. The project will be a key project to anchor the high-volume manufacturing capabilities and its supply chains in the UK.
Project Focus
The project is focused on the key areas below which represent critical factors currently affecting the wider automotive manufacturing industry:
Electrification
To create a dedicated facility to trial key processes required for new electrification components.
Digital Manufacturing
To demonstrate a proof of concept for the Manufacturing Engineering digital twin and improve upon the current manufacturing engineering development process.
Repurpose Equipment
To develop an electrification adaptation strategy for existing infrastructure, machines and equipment.
Skills & Training
To develop relevant skills and training experiences, leveraging alliances with academic bodies and facilitating access to assets to provide complementary hands on experience.
Partners
Supported by
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HSSMI has the ambition to maximise value and develop commercial offerings from the E:PriME program.
There are two focus areas for exploitation that will include;
Developing a number of bespoke capabilities in the area of vehicle electrification
And Applying digital manufacturing tools and techniques
Capabilities in electrification
HSSMI has developed significant capabilities from past programs on battery, motor and power electronics manufacturing processes. We want to use the E:PriME program to develop the manufacturing expertise around the Bill of design, sequence, process, material and generate work instructions for the operators. Also, the company has the ambition to develop benchmarking capabilities on the manufacturing side to compare and contrast different manufacturing sites.
We are also in the process of setting up an EV powertrain school which will cater to the training needs of the industry. In addition, the company wants to develop a strategy to offer bespoke simulation services for EV powertrain components along with layout design and maintenance service. Based on the knowledge acquired from the program we would also like to develop offerings around material handling and design for manufacturing for EV components. Finally, we also envision to offer a repurposing strategy to existing internal combustion engines manufacturing facilities to transition towards EV component manufacturing.
Re-Purposing of existing facilities, equipment and people
Existing ICE processes will become redundant. Finding ways to redeploy them, the associated people and infrastructure will reduce the considerable investment required for the new technology. This could become a competitive advantage for Ford Motor Company and this region (vs. new market entrants and areas without an ICE footprint)
Digital Manufacturing
We would like to apply the best state of the art digital manufacturing tools to maximise the value for manufacturing operations. The vision is to create a digital building infrastructure that replicates aspects of the physical world. In addition, HSSMI would like to develop the digital processes along with analytics that help manufacturers to predict the state of their machines.
Ford Motor Company has a large Manufacturing Engineering presence, based at its R&D facility in Dunton, Essex. This has been responsible for delivering traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Manufacturing Facilities throughout Europe. It is looking to re-skill this resource for electrified powertrain. Specific areas of focus include:
Understanding and developing Supplemental Technologies and Processes
Re-Purposing of existing facilities, equipment and people
Understanding and developing Supplemental Technologies and Processes
A number of new processes are added to the manufacturing skillset. By purchasing these facilities for the E:PriME facility, new knowledge can be acquired and disseminated through the group. It will also be possible to shape and influence these processes to be suitable for European manufacturing sites (legislation, operating practice etc) and for the European supply base (including the consortium partners).
Re-Purposing of existing facilities, equipment and people
We are at the start of a revolution away from conventional powertrains to their more advanced electrical successors. Finding ways to redeploy them, the associated people and infrastructure will reduce the considerable investment required for the new technology. This could become a competitive advantage for Ford Motor Company and this region (vs. new market entrants and areas without an ICE footprint)
Digital Twin
The installation of all-new processes brings an opportunity to for a step change in how Manufacturing Engineering is completed. Building and testing facilities digitally, requires new skills. E:PriME represent a significant opportunity to develop the methods and skills required to move to these digital methods
JW Froehlich produces Ultra High Volume Manufacturing (UHVM) assembly and test machinery predominantly for Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) manufacture. Involvement in the E:PriME project opens opportunities to share knowledge with other Consortium members and apply it to the development of vehicle electric drive and battery assembly and test machinery and techniques.
The reduction in ICE volumes globally has the potential to adversely affect company turnover and staffing levels. Developing new product applications for electric drive train will provide a safeguard against any such threats to our business. We expect to benefit from opportunities with existing customers as well as in new markets. We will also use this opportunity to retrain and upskill our workforce.
Working with other Consortium members opens up a unique opportunity to work with product designers and those responsible for the application of state of the art equipment and techniques. In sharing our expertise, we anticipate benefiting from helping to shape future strategies for UHVM product detail, repurposing of equipment, and the creation of a ‘Digital Twin’.
‘Digitalisation Changes Everything!’. For many years Siemens have been at the leading edge of automation and machining technologies. Over recent years Siemens have developed and augmented our software capabilities and now lead the way in industrial digitalisation.
Siemens software can digitally realise a product, a process, a production facility then manages the facility as a cyber physical system and ultimately the product in the field – the complete product lifecycle, a digital twin.
Mindsphere is the Siemens cloud platform to enable both local and remote control of the digital thread running through the entire value chain.
As the automotive industry transitions from internal combustion to electric ‘drive trains’ Siemens wish to demonstrate our capabilities in digitalisation while facilitating the project’s aims.
Siemens will provide the tools and support the virtual engineering of the E:PrIME project producing a template for a robust and sustainable production facility.
For Siemens this project is a showcase, a reference project where Siemens’ capabilities are demonstrated together with new and innovative applications learned from a wider industrial perspective.
As a design firm specialising in information visualisation, Signal Noise has built a reputation for creating digital products and experiences across multiple sectors, ranging from finance, health, media and sports.
E:PriME, provides us with the opportunity to collaborate with consortium partners to create new innovative solutions to challenges facing the manufacturing sector in the UK.
Signal Noise will be applying our expertise in user-centred design to help develop new processes and digital products that increase collaboration and efficiency across the manufacturing engineering workflow.
The goal for National Instruments in participating in the E:PriME project is to prove our data acquisition and data management platforms in an automotive electric powertrain application. Through the successful implementation of National Instruments Data Acquisition on the test machines being developed as part of the project we want our technology will become the standard for future Ford electric power train lines as well as providing us with a proof point to show to other customers and prospects. We would also like to add further value to the project through providing data management and analysis tools enabling engineers to gain additional insight from the data being collected within the factory, providing another template use case for future Ford lines as well as well other customers and prospects.
