Metrology
HOW METROLOGY TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING CAR COMPANIES MANUFACTURE THE LATEST EVS
Almost everyone is aware of the electric vehicle (EV) revolution in the automotive industry. The switch from diesel and petrol engines to electric power is constantly in the news, and despite some obstacles to widespread adoption, the clock is ticking to a total switch by 2035. Here Gareth Tomkinson, business development manager in Renishaw’s CMM & Gauging Products Division, explores the role of metrology in solving these challenges.
50 T
he global importance of reducing our reliance on fossil fuels has set the scene for the replacement of combustion engines with e-transportation. However, a snapshot of sales in 2023, showed EVs made up only 16 per cent of new car
registrations in the UK, according to Zapmap. While they may be an increasingly common sight on the country’s roads, widespread adoption by the majority has yet to come.
DRIVING CHANGE
Whilst early EV adopters enjoy the benefits of a more peaceful, carbon friendly motoring experience, they are also learning to live with new issues like higher purchase prices, low battery range and lack of charging infrastructure. Across the world, governments, local authorities, large employers and manufacturers all have a part to play in providing improvements that encourage EV adoption as part of the overall drive to net zero.
CHANGING LANE Further upstream, manufacturers have switched some of their traditional powertrain lines, by removing the equipment used to machine cylinder heads, cylinder blocks, cranks etc. and replacing
this with new processes for components like rotors and stators for electric motors. Although the electric motor is far from a new technology, the high efficiency versions required on such a mass scale do bring new engineering challenges. At this early stage in the evolutionary cycle of the ‘new’ electric motor, we see engineers applying their talents and producing a constant stream of incremental design improvements. However, each of these new designs must go from the CAD (Computer Aided Design) screen through a manufacturing process and end up as a finished product with the precise tolerances attributed to each part. This makes quality checks essential to ensuring efficiency, reliability and safety, especially important with new and relatively unproven designs. These inspection checks are used by manufacturers in two distinct ways: Firstly, as a standard pass or fail quality check for individual components. Secondly, as a source of data that can be used to make constant micro- adjustments to upstream machining. Much like the small steering wheel adjustments we make to keep a car in between the white lines on a highway, these ‘process control’ adjustments help to nudge machining operations towards the ideal size and prevent drift towards out of tolerance limits.
August 2024 Instrumentation Monthly
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