The £28 million Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Future Electrical Machines Manufacturing Hub is the first of its kind to bring together leading research expertise in electrical machines and manufacturing. Researchers will work closely with industry to address key manufacturing challenges in the production of high integrity and high value electrical machines.
At a time when society is witnessing a huge global shift towards cleaner growth and more resource efficient economies, with electrical machines at the heart of the move towards electric cars, aircraft and the use of renewable energy such as offshore wind, there are significant manufacturing challenges, particularly around new materials and the application of digital approaches, and how to overcome these economically while ensuring reliability and quality.
The initial research plans within the hub look to cover a number of topics, including: the use of the latest manufacturing processes to enable the lightweighting of electrical machines, understanding and demonstrating how digital tools can support skill intensive manual manufacturing tasks and exploring how robotic systems can be applied to tasks such as the winding of coils in electrical machines.
Professor Geraint Jewell, Director of the EPSRC Future Electrical Machines Manufacturing Hub, said: “The University of Sheffield has recently been named the number one university in the UK for income and investment in engineering research which positions us as a global leader. This new hub exemplifies this in action - we are bringing together world-leading researchers with industry to deliver real impact in the manufacture of electrical machines.
“The hub will not only address the key manufacturing challenges mentioned but also assist UK manufacturing to capture significant value in the supply chain, improve productivity and deliver the cleaner growth at the heart of the UK’s industrial strategy.”
Ben Morgan, Head of Integrated Manufacturing at AMRC, said: “Factory 2050 is at the forefront of research into digital assembly and flexible manufacturing. We are developing and delivering new technologies for partners across aerospace, automotive and construction. We have an opportunity with the EPSRC Hub to apply novel digital approaches to the manufacture of electrical machines and help to secure future production in the UK across high value markets.”
Researchers in the new hub will work closely with industry to address key manufacturing challenges in the production of high integrity and high value electrical machines.
Dr Arwyn Thomas, Head of Generator Design at Siemens-Gamesa, said: “The new hub is an exciting development in the partnership between Siemens-Gamesa and the University of Sheffield. Our partnership with Sheffield supports the development of new technologies including the latest generation of generators for offshore wind turbines. As the generators grow in size they present new manufacturing challenges and working with the hub will be essential to addressing these.”
The £28m investment is underpinned by a £10m award from the EPSRC and funding from industrial partners including Rolls Royce, Airbus, Siemens Gamesa, GKN Aerospace, McLaren and Dyson and the University partners. The team, led by the University of Sheffield’s Faculty of Engineering and AMRC, will work with academics at Newcastle University and the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC).