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SHAPING THE MOBILITY OF THE FUTURE WITH SPACE DRIVE TECHNOLOGY AND THE SCHAEFFLER MOVER VEHICLE CONCEPT
It has been a successful year for Schaeffler and its joint venture company Schaeffler Paravan Technologie. “With the establishment of Schaeffler Paravan Technologie, Schaeffler has optimally positioned itself for the future,” commented Matthias Zink, CEO Automotive OEM at Schaeffler. “We want to play a decisive role in shaping the mobility of the future with the Space Drive key technology and the innovative Schaeffler Mover vehicle concept. Schaeffler is on the right path to becoming a leading chassis system integrator.” Roland Arnold, CEO of Schaeffler Paravan
Technologie and founder of PARAVAN, added: “We have set up a partnership that provides benefits for both parties. We have reached the first milestones and established the basis for the further development of the Space Drive technology with a view to high volume production.” The interest in digital driving and steering
systems and the corresponding discussions have gained a lot of momentum in conjunction with the development of self-driving vehicles. Design engineers are increasingly focusing on
technologies such as Space Drive that are licensed for road use and comply with the stringent functional safety regulations. “The start of volume production of this
system is planned for 2021,” added Zink. “We have already started specific projects with numerous customers who will implement the components used in the Schaeffler Mover, such as the Schaeffler Intelligent Corner Modules and Space Drive. We see ourselves as a chassis integrator here, supplying drives and drive control
IS YOUR COMPANY ELIGIBLE FOR THE R&D TAX CREDIT SCHEME?
According to new research commissioned by innovation specialists MPA for Advanced Engineering 2019, engineering companies in the UK are potentially missing out on over £10 billion of R&D funding each year. The study found that one in five (21%) innovation active engineering firms
are not taking advantage of the government’s R&D Tax Credit scheme, which allows companies to claim back up to 33p for every £1 spent on R&D activity. On average, engineering companies invest £386,000 a year on
R&D activity, meaning they are potentially able to claim £100,360 in funding. With over 100,000 UK engineering firms not claiming, despite describing their company as innovation active, £10.2 billion is going unclaimed each year. Nigel Urquhart, senior technical analyst at MPA, said: “Our research
has highlighted that more work needs to be done to raise awareness of the R&D Tax Credit scheme, as these innovative companies could save themselves hundreds of thousands of pounds. This money could then be reinvested to fund further innovation, which would ensure UK engineering stays at the forefront of the industry.” To see if your company is eligible for the R&D Tax Credit scheme visit:
https://mpa.co.uk/services/rd-tax-credits/
A
fter a relatively quiet summer, the weather’s getting colder
but the product launches are hotting up, and over the last few weeks I’ve been to some really interesting events. Alongside exhibitions like DSEI
and the Engineering Design Show, where I saw some great new technologies and met some really interesting people, I’ve been to Mitsubishi Electric in Hatfield to see the launch of the first in a series of collaborative robots; to London to meet Fuji Electric and find out why they are entering a ‘new era within the EU and UK markets’; and to another event featuring launches from igus, TE Connectivity, ABB, Control Techniques and more. All these stories and more will be featuring in the pages of Design Solutions, starting this month with an article about connectors, written following a meeting I had at DSEI with Karen Bomba, president of Smiths Interconnect (see page 23).
Rachael Morling - Editor
systems to higher-level vehicle integrators.” In September Schaeffler signed an investment
agreement with China’s Hunan province in a move aimed at supporting and facilitating autonomous driving in China using Schaeffler technologies. Under the agreement, both parties will jointly develop a mobility ecosystem for intelligent vehicles in the provincial capital of Changsha. The technology is being demonstrated by the
Audi R8 LMS GT3 actively competing in the DMV Gran Turismo and Touring Car Cup (DMV GTC). Equipped with the Space Drive steer-by-wire system, the R8 made its racing debut in the DMV GTC season finale at the Hockenheimring at the end of October and was among the front runners in the two DMV GTC races. The concept vehicle, which has no mechanical connection between the steering unit and the steering gear, was the first vehicle of its kind in the history of motor racing to receive approval from the German Motor Sport Federation (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund – DMSB) in June this year.
www.schaeffler.co.uk
CUSTOMISE
ENCLOSURES WITH LASER MARKING
OKW has added new laser marking technology to its wide range of customisation services. Laser marking of legends and logos
is waterproof, smudge-proof and durable; and is ideal for very small machine-readable markings such as sequential QR codes or barcodes. Consecutive numbering can be carried out quickly, easily and cost effectively. Suitable materials for laser marking include ABS, ASA+PC and ASA+PC-FR, polycarbonate, polyamide (and PA GF) and aluminium.
www.okw.co.uk
FIVE YEAR WARRANTY FOR DRIVE RANGE
Anyone who purchases a drive from Control Techniques’ Commander range will now be able to register to extend the products’ warranty from two years to five, at no extra cost. This offer relates to the Commander C200 and C300, general purpose drives designed for ease of setup and installation. Anthony Pickering, president of
Control Techniques, said: “To increase the warranty period for our Commander range signals our confidence in the product and gives drive users added security. We are particularly proud to be in a position where we can offer this.”
www.ControlTechniques.com
FATH Components has launched an online portal designed exclusively for machine and system builders. The initial phase of the new resource features 18 complete FATH product families and includes many of the company’s most popular and biggest-selling products. These include parking rails, workstation and suspension arms, profile connectors, castors, cable fixings, friction joints, lifting feet, hinges, and other standard machine elements.
www.fath24.com/product- portraits/
Nexans has been appointed by SSE as the preferred supplier to design, manufacture and install the onshore and offshore export cables for the Phase 1 development of the Seagreen offshore wind farm project. Currently under construction off the Angus coast, Phase 1 comprises the Seagreen Alpha and Bravo wind farms. With a combined capacity of 1,075MW, they will form the largest windfarm project in Scotland when they come on line in 2024.
www.nexans.com
Westermo has acquired 100% of Virtual Access, an Irish-based technology company specialising in wireless industrial routers and gateways, and managed connectivity services for customers in the utility, traffic management and telecommunications sectors. The acquisition will strengthen Westermo’s offering to the power distribution and utility markets.
www.westermo.com
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