Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE), a provider of electron beam and laser welding systems, and Ford have been awarded a £430,000 research grant from UKRI’s Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK. The grant is part of a £5.8 million fund aimed at exploring the automation and scale-up of electron beam welding for the joining of copper and aluminum components used in electric motors for EVs.
Innovate UK, a national innovation agency, is investing in electrification technologies, including power electronics, machines, and drives (PEMD), to support the UK’s transition towards a net zero carbon economy and the development of cleaner technology supply chains.
Under a project named EB-eDrive, CVE and Ford aim to reduce the manufacturing time of hairpin stators, the electromagnet system crucial to the operation of electric vehicle engines. This acceleration could potentially increase the production of electric vehicles in the UK, aligning with the Government’s net-zero targets.
Electron beam welding, which is significantly faster than conventional laser welding techniques, is already making a difference in other clean energy applications. It accelerates the production of wind turbines and nuclear reactors while reducing energy use and the carbon footprint of associated processes. Work on EB-eDrive has already begun, with CVE and Ford agreeing on a scope of work, creating preliminary designs, and welding some small samples.
CVE has previously received funding from Innovate UK. In February 2023, the company received funding under UKRI’s Faraday Battery Challenge, which supports the research and development of innovative and sustainable battery technologies for electric vehicles. The EB-Bat project, a collaboration with Delta Cosworth and TWI, aims to design, build, and test an electron beam welding machine that can weld battery busbar components.
Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
Bob Nicolson, CEO of Aquasium Technology, the parent company of Cambridge Vacuum Engineering, said: “We are delighted that EB-eDrive is one of twelve projects awarded a grant by Innovate UK. It’s exciting to be working with Ford Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering and collaborating on such an important research initiative. The potential benefits that electron beam welding can bring to the production of motor stators is huge. As well as looking to reduce manufacturing time, we’ll also be seeing what we can do to improve the quality of hairpin welds to reduce the risk of electrical shortcuts and the production of non-functioning stators. With the funding granted by Innovate UK our aim is to demonstrate how electron beam welding – as an advanced manufacturing technique – can accelerate the green transformation of the UK automotive industry and keep the country at the forefront of global vehicle production and innovation.”
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