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DER-IC Success in UKRI Supply Chains for Net Zero Competition

Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centres (DER-IC) has supported partners in winning nine bids in the latest Driving the Electric Revolution funding call from UK Research and Innovation: Supply Chains for Net Zero.

14 February 2022

We have supported partners in winning nine bids in the latest Driving the Electric Revolution funding call from UK Research and Innovation: Supply Chains for Net Zero. 

£16.7 million of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding is going to build the manufacturing capability Britain needs to lead the green electric revolution.

The funding will be divided among 10 different projects based around the UK, each aiming to help develop the self-sufficiency of Britain’s supply chains for:

  • power electronics
  • machines
  • drives (PEMD)

As coordinator for the Driving the Electric Reviolution Industrialisation Centres, we have supported partners in winning nine bids across the UK.

North East

Scienze - Supply Chain Innovation Engineering for Net Zero

Partners:

  • McLaren Applied
  • TT Electronics Integrated Manufacturing Service
  • Microchip Technology Caldicot
  • Newcastle University
  • TWI

Aim of Project

Scienze aims to create a UK-based supply chain capable of manufacturing the next generation of power electronic components. It also aims to do this at volumes higher than this achievable today. This will be achieved through a combination of novel assembly methods and investment in high levels of automation.

The project is the natural successor to McLaren Applied's APC12 project ESCAPE. It will take McLaren Applied's 800V Silicon Carbide inverter and ensure that the manufacturing cost is as low as possible. This will to ensure competitiveness in the challenging and cost-conscious automotive market.
TT Electronics will investigate and invest in advanced automation techniques. This work will be focused on manufacturing of power-electronics products. Microchip will be industrialising their SiC based power modules. This will leverage the significant inward investment that has already been made in this area. The Welding Institute and the Driving the Electric Revolution Centre North East (Newcastle University) will support all of these efforts with novel techniques for assembly and material joining. This is aimed at cost reduction and increased manufacturing process efficiency.

Value: £2,473,169

COCO - Coil to Core: Supply Chain for Net Zero CO2

Partners:

  • Advanced Electric Machines
  • Tata Steel UK Ltd
  • Tata Steel Nederland Technology B.V
  • Newcastle University
  • Coventry University
  • Centre for Process Innovation

Aim of Project

COCO aims to develop a UK PEMD supply chain that will combine:

  • cost effective material supply
  • cold rolling of a new high strength non-magnetic steel
  • mass production process innovations

Combined they will deliver patented lamination designs. These laminations can then be stacked into novel rotor and stator sub-assemblies. This will support mass production of more efficient and more sustainable electric machines. There is a wide-range of applications across transport, energy and industrial sectors.

DER-IC North East (Newcastle University) will support with manufacturing, assembly and coating process development. It will also support scale-up using novel non-magnetic steel with electrical steel, using their remote fibre laser cutting/welding cell and lamination coating line.

Value: £1,808,767

The coming electric revolution presents an opportunity to put the UK at the forefront of a burgeoning industry, creating manufacturing jobs and prosperity across the country.

Professor Will Drury, Director, UKRI’s driving the electric revolution challenge

FASA - A Flexible, Automated Stator Assembly Platform for Lightweight Electric Motors

Partners:

  • Edge Mobility
  • I Rob International
  • Newcastle University
  • The University of Warwick

Aim of Project

The aim of FASA is to develop an advanced manufacturing platform. It will enable the flexible, automated production of Edge Mobility's motors. Edge Mobility is a British Tier One supplier of integrated motor and powertrain solutions for manufacturers of lightweight electric vehicles, with peak power outputs of between 7 and 55 kW.
 
 
The project’s four partners will cover three layers of the supply chain. This includes:
  • laser welding process developer (WMG)
  • industrial robotics supplier and systems integrator (iRob International)
  • vertically integrated Tier One Supplier building stator assemblies, motors, and integrated powertrains (Edge Mobility)
  • manufacturing process development/test facility (DER-IC – North East at Newcastle University).
The partners will scale up EV motor manufacture from 10s to 10K per annum.
 
Value: £691,874

Business and Partnerships

Whether a global corporate or a SME just starting out, we can work with you to innovate, overcome challenges and grow your business.

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DER-IC Midlands

UK-Alumotor 2 for LCV

Partners

 
  • Ricardo
  • Warwick Manufacturing Group
  • C Brandauer and Co.
  • Aspire Engineering
  • Global Technologies Racing
  • Phoenix Scientific Industries

Aim of Project

Ricardo has spent ten years developing magnet free, sustainable, synchronous-reluctance, traction motor technology, which retains the attributes of magnet-rich motors. As part of this, Ricardo is completing the DER "UK-Alumotor 1" supply chain development project. It has delivered manufacturing learning for aluminium windings, low wastage stator manufacture, and composites in rotors with additive manufactured flux guides. This has been delivered in conjunction with Ricardo’s partners: Aspire; Brandauer; GTR; PSI; WMG and the DER-IC - Midlands Winding Centre of Excellence.
 
This project takes the learning and concepts to increase a light commercial vehicle (LCV) concept motor's Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL). We will deliver a "design for manufacturing" (DFM) project of a pre-production, highly sustainable motor removing 12kg of rare-earth magnets per machine. We will develop the manufacturing processes in the supply chain, a digital-twin of the motor including manufacturing influences, a cradle to grave Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), and a business case with target pricing versus volume data output.
 
The route to market will be identified by a business study of potential customers and markets, and a review of the assembly plants required for 5,000 or 100,000 units/year. This will inform investment decisions for Ricardo and partners for low and high-volume manufacturing.
 
Additional commercialisation will come from deploying the learning by Ricardo and partners in client motor design and development projects. This will increase the partners' competitiveness in the UK and deliver further value from the Innovate UK DER funding.
 
Value: £2,532,242
 

PE2M - Power Electronics Modules by Rapid Moulding

 

Partners

  • Ultrawise Innovation
  • Tribus-D
  • The University of Warwick
  • DZP Technologies
  • Custom Interconnect
  • HPM
  • Bioniqs

Aim of Project

Project PE2M is about restructuring the supply chain for power electronics modules for aerospace (and other) industries, in response to the increased need for power system integration to support the electrification of aircraft. This change will be facilitated by the introduction of power electronics modules containing silicon carbide (and gallium nitride) semiconductors by packaging using thermoplastic encapsulants.
 
In project PE2M, a new UK focused supply chain will be assembled to demonstrate the benefits of the thermoplastic encapsulation technology and the opportunities which this approach creates for suppliers, and users in aerospace.
 
One key advantage is that end users will be able to integrate their power electronic systems more easily through the use of specific modules, and this will support the electrification of the aerospace sector from More Electric aircraft, to hybrid, hydrogen and All Electric aircraft.
 
The partnership includes high volume supply chain companies specialising in interconnect and moulding, SME technology providers who have developed the innovative technologies in previous projects, recycling companies, and DER-IC – Midlands at Warwick University.
 
Value: £524,056
 

Differentiating UK capability: reducing footprint and weight of high power, integrated PEMD

Partners

  • GE Power Conversion
  • Dynex Semiconductor
  • University of Nottingham
  • Warwick Manufacturing Group

Aim of Project

The project, "Reducing Footprint and Weight of High Power, Integrated PEMD”, focuses on transformative design and novel manufacturing techniques to significantly increase power density of high-power electrification systems.
 
 

Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centres

Our Mission is to make the UK globally recognised as the centre of excellence in power electronics, machines and drives (PEMD) manufacturing processes.

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