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RAIL
wEREd trA ns te goals whIile MANCE DEMANDS
WereD TRaiINS: TE GOALS WH LE mance demands
INDUSTRY FOCUS
at low temperatures, will lead to lithium plating, where metallic lithium forms on the graphite anode, increasing the risk of dendrites, internal short circuits, and thermal runaway. The metallic lithium will furthermore make the reaction more vigorous and increase the risk of propagation to other cells. To address these risks, many train
manufacturers are turning to LTO batteries, where the graphite is replaced by lithium titanium oxide (LTO). These batteries have no SEI layer, so there is no risk of lithium plating. In addition, the spinel lattice structure of the LTO does not change in volume during charge and discharge. Thus, with LTO batteries, all causes of internal short circuits due to ageing are inherently avoided. Even in the event of an externally caused short circuit, an LTO cell discharges much more slowly, thereby minimising the risk of runaway. All inherent safety features make LTO
batteries the preferred choice in public transportation applications, where passenger safety is non-negotiable. LTO batteries, such as the SCiB LTO battery from Toshiba, feature long life, rapid charging, high power output, and reliable performance across a wide range of operating temperatures.
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT The transition to battery-powered trains is a
through tunnels, where evacuating in an emergency is more challenging. This places additional demands on the battery technology, making safety and reliability paramount. Conventional lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries,
which use graphite anodes, pose the risk that an internal short circuit can lead to a fast discharge and heat up the cell, potentially triggering
thermal runaway. In the worst case, this can lead to fire or even an explosion. The risk of an internal short circuit increases with battery degradation over its service life. The SEI layer (solid-electrolyte interface), which is the thermally most unstable component of the cell, grows over time and thus lowers the critical point at which runaway can occur. Fast charging, particularly
critical step to reducing CO2 emissions. While the adoption of batteries in trains presents unique technical and operational challenges, the decisive factor is not to store as much energy as possible, but to charge the smallest possible battery as quickly as possible, multiple times per day, and still achieve a long service life. As battery trains continue to expand across Europe and beyond, LTO technology is set to play a central role in the future of sustainable mobility.
Toshiba
www.toshiba.co.uk
MACHINING PRECISE RAIL INDUSTRY COMPONENTS
Howells Railway Products supplies over 1,000 product lines to major rail operators, OEMs, and infrastructure owners across six continents. Customers such as Network Rail, Alstom, Siemens, Thales, Bombardier and Hitachi rely on Howells for CNC-machined components – all programmed with hyperMILL CAD/CAM software from OPEN MIND Technologies. Machine shop manager, Justin Johnson, and his team compared hyperMILL
with several other leading providers. The combination of user-friendliness, processing speed and advanced 5-axis capability proved decisive. One of the most significant improvements since adopting hyperMILL has been the step-change in simulation capability. For Howells’ CNC programmer Alexander Barnes, Virtual Machine has fundamentally changed how jobs are prepared and verified before they reach the machine tool. Barnes said: “hyperMILL makes it easy to go from rough to finish parts
because it uses the model to drive the tool path, so I know it’s not going to gouge anywhere along the workpiece. From there, it generates the stock model straight away, so if I need to do some rest roughing, I can easily work to that stock model. For the finishing, it works in the same way, driving up to the surface of the model.” For 5-axis machining in particular, where multi-axis movements
create a complex collision environment that potentially involves the cutting tool, spindle, workholding and the machine structure, simulation is a necessity. Barnes said: “The simulation on our 5-axis machines is very important for collision checking and to prevent gouging on the parts. Within Virtual Machine, collisions are automatically recognised, and the
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system will not let you post the code. I can confidently post the code and know that with every B and C-axis movement that we’re going to have, I'm not going to gouge into the machine itself.” Beyond simulation, the quality and
efficiency of the tool paths generated by hyperMILL have delivered measurable improvements. The benefits also extend to surface quality and the amount of post-machining work required. For a manufacturing business where components must consistently meet stringent rail industry standards, the ability to produce a superior finish directly off the machine is particularly valuable. In addition, by generating smoother, more consistent tool paths, hyperMILL reduces the stress placed on cutting tools, extending their working life even as cycle times decrease. Johnson commented: “In manufacturing, prices are going up across the
board. If hyperMILL can make us more competitive and keep our prices the same – despite tooling prices and material prices going up – then that’s a huge benefit.” With hyperMILL now embedded in its workflow, Howells Railway
Products has already seen significant gains in simulation reliability, tool path efficiency, surface quality, tool life and throughput.
OPEN MIND Technologies UK
www.openmind-tech.com JUNE 2026 DESIGN SOLUTIONS 29
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