Keeping pace with the automotive industry

Yes, of course. Think of the stator housing for electric vehicles, first of all. This isn’t a brand-new component any more, but there was still a great deal of variance here until recently. The geometry has now stabilised. And there are still always new developments, such as cast-in steel bushings that hold bearings. Machining solutions are certainly a challenge. If we look at the exploded view of an electric motor, we can see even more components that may be of interest to us. In addition to the stator housing, there’s the gearbox housing, bearing cover, and housing for the power electronics.

Self-driving with by-wire technologies is leading to new components in the area of chassis and brakes. Here, we’ve developed machining solutions for a combined brake housing that is required in systems with no hydraulic lines. In their basic functions, the new components are similar to the previous ones, but they introduce more sensor and actuator technology into the vehicles. What matters to us is how this changes parts that are also subject to mechanical processing. Irrespective of individual components, the trend continues towards aluminium, which offsets the additional weight of batteries through more lightweight construction, for example.
 

If requirements change, we of course adapt our range of solutions accordingly. To understand requirements and features of important focus components, we like working with sample components, which we call generic components. After all, no client wants to be a guinea pig for tool developments. That’s why we use our own components here, which demonstrate the real functions as required by industry as clearly as possible. We use generic components like these for electric motors, for instance. Of course, a component’s core characteristics may change with time. These may include additional machining steps, higher accuracy or other materials. That’s where we need to step in where required and modify our sample component, whose design isn’t set in stone. For instance, a lot has happened with valve guides in the past 20 years, in terms of both size and materials. We had to keep launching new test series to continue developing our technology.

The quantities requested may also require changes. The design of a component does not change with the quantity to be produced, but in combination with process requirements, quantities do play a role. This brings us to other tool regions with performance or expert solutions, where more complex tools boost productivity and process capability. These machining solutions for strategic components, which are standardised up to a certain point, are available worldwide through our sales department, by the way. Their significance increases as the shift from local or regional production to global production intensifies. To serve our customers as best we can, we are pushing forward with our global footprint in this area.
 

Quote

"Vehicle production volumes are predicted to grow between now and 2030“