66 “Then, we provide guidance on appropriate alloy selection, along with stack process/design solutions for preliminary prototyping purposes, keeping volume production in mind. Most of the time, our customers require either to improve the motor power or make the motor smaller using our stacks.” A maker of stamping tools for a wide range of industries, including lamination dies for electric machines, takes a similar approach, starting in the quoting phase and providing feedback on design for manufacture (DFM) issues early on. “The strip layouts of our proposed solutions help our customers conceptualise the final die design,” the company’s expert says. “This front-end effort ensures we are on the same page with our customers and that the final product will meet their stringent requirements.” Design tool progress Design and simulation software play an essential role in motor development, and several companies we consulted use packages from Ansys, including MotorCAD for overall motor sizing and concept development, Maxwell for electromagnetic design, Fluent for cooling optimisation, and Mechanical for finite element analysis (FEA) work. One mentioned using JMAG Designer for electromagnetic design, while another said its engineers use SolidWorks from Dassault Systemes. One major automotive systems developer uses a mix of commercially available software and its own tools to meet specific needs. “For the e-motor simulation and optimisation, our own tool chain that contains all our production know-how is key,” its expert says. “Typical market tools have too many restrictions at interfaces, which limits their flexibility in building optimised tool chains. Development of our own integrated tools is a key element in our overall product strategy.” Using Matlab Simulink, our third motor developer has created a tool that models motor duty cycles, aiding customers’ understanding of system-level motor behaviour. “This tool allows the input of duty cycles and system conditions to model the motor’s predicted thermal behaviour early in the development cycle, providing confidence in system sizing across the powertrain and cooling circuit,” its expert says. Engineering software is now more powerful and generally more user-friendly than ever, although it is still important to choose the right tools for the job. There is a broad variety of tools, some of which require a low level of electromagnetic (EM) design expertise to get a rapid understanding of the basics, while the more sophisticated tools demand a lot of expertise to use them, according to our automotive subsystems developer. The expert says the progress made since the initial software releases 20-25 years ago is phenomenal, and the tools serve the key needs of the industry very well. “However, all tools require a perfect understanding of material properties before and after process steps to be able to simulate reality.” The soft, magnetic alloys specialist says simulation tools are extremely important to design and improve motor responses, enabling engineers to perform motor design optimisation quickly, while facilitating the choice of materials, dimensions, windings and housing types, along with specific design features. “Previously, these tools did not have large, built-in databases, but now more and more are becoming available,” the expert says. “For example, specifications for several of our materials for stators and rotors that were not readily available earlier are now available in the simulation databases.” The advent of 3D software such as SolidWorks has taken design engineering to the next level, according to the lamination die maker, because it enables the creation of detailed, realistic models that can be viewed and manipulated from any angle. “This enables engineers to visualise the final product more accurately, identify potential issues early on and make adjustments,” the expert says. “It also enables engineers to simulate the performance of the design, optimising it for efficiency and effectiveness.” Thanks to customised software, engineers can get from a concept to a final design more quickly than before, and make very good predictions of motor characteristics, says one of our motor developers. “In particular, the comparison with measurements on the test bench gives us a good understanding of the Focus | Motor development and manufacturing July/August 2024 | E-Mobility Engineering Kuka robotic arm installed in the Bosch electric-motor manufacturing facility in Charleston, South Carolina, at which production began in 2022 (Image courtesy of Bosch)
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