Ostfildern, August 16, 2019: Gehring is placing this year’s appearance at EMO under the motto of technology openness for CO2 reduction and consumption optimization. Thus, in addition to nanohoning® and formhoning as production processes for internal combustion engines, the introduction of the new product portfolio for stator production in the electric motor will be a particular focus of the trade show. Gehring will also be demonstrating the new GLS 1000 development for laser structuring of functional surfaces live at the booth and unveiling the new Industry 4.0 customer platform for user-specific digitalization in production.
Stator production – core process in e-motor production
Electrification of the powertrain plays a significant role in CO2 reduction. For the introduction of its hybrid and electric vehicles, the automotive industry needs production technology that is highly flexible in terms of quantities and types, while at the same time guaranteeing short cycle times and high quality. The stator is the part of the electric motor with the greatest production effort and thus also the greatest potential for optimization. Hairpin technology offers the best performance characteristics and the highest automation potential for high-volume production of stators. In a departure from the familiar winding or drawing-in technique, individual hairpin coils are formed from flat copper wire and inserted into the stator housing. The core processes include pin manufacture, pin assembly and insertion into the stator, interlocking of the pin ends (twisting), interconnection by laser welding and impregnation of the stator.
Gehring has developed integrated production solutions for stators for electric motor manufacturing together with its specialized subsidiary copperING. Automotive manufacturers and suppliers receive all relevant technologies as well as process and system design from a single source. The Gehring Group supplies fully automated, flexible production lines for stators that meet the quality requirements as well as the cycle time specifications and flexibility requirements of the automotive industry. Gehring relies on a combination of deep technological understanding from its own e-mobility experts and extensive experience in process and system design.
At EMO, Gehring will exclusively present two new machines from the process chain. This involves a robot-based station for pin assembly in the stator slots and a laser machine for welding the wire ends.
CO2 reduction in internal combustion engines to meet emissions standards
In parallel with technological developments in e-mobility, existing vehicle models with combustion engines must be further developed so that they comply with stricter emissions legislation. There are different approaches to reducing consumption and emissions. Two efficient methods come from Gehring with so-called nanohoning and formhoning. This involves a process sequence for manufacturing engines with coated cylinder barrels (nanohoning) and a technology for compensating for distortions in the engine (formhoning). Both processes are now used in series production of internal combustion engines and achieve significant savings.
Total package honing technology – innovations ready for series production with impact
The Gehring technology chain of nanohoning is used for the production of engines with coated cylinder barrels and comprises the process chain roughening – thermal coating – honing. Thermal spray coatings in cylinder liners of internal combustion engines increase the energy efficiency of the units by reducing friction. Wear and tear as well as the size of the motors are reduced. In addition to honing processes, Gehring also supplies laser roughening in this process chain. Laser roughening enables high adhesive tensile strengths with low roughness. This means that less coating material is required. In addition, operating costs are reduced because tooling costs are eliminated compared to other processes.
To further improve consumption values in conventional aluminum or cast iron engines, Gehring has introduced formhoning technology. In this process, the functional deformations of the cylinder are retained in the production process so that an almost ideal cylindrical geometry is achieved in the operating condition. This has a beneficial effect on CO2 emissions, oil and fuel consumption, performance and wear. Together with leading global automotive manufacturers, this technology has been implemented and now creates cost advantages as standard on plants in the USA, Europe and China. In series production, for example, it was possible to achieve a friction reduction of more than ten percent in the cylinder bore and a reduction in emissions of around 1.5 grams of CO2 per kilometer. The cost of implementing the process is only a fraction of other measures with a comparable effect.
Using the newly developed PT 600 two-spindle honing center as an example, Gehring will be presenting the complete range of honing technology for machines, automation, tools, cutting strips and contract manufacturing at EMO. Both in-line and V-type motors can be machined on the PT 600. With its tool changer, comprehensive process capability, ergonomic loading concept and optimized footprint, it is suitable for the flexible production of a wide variety of engines at suppliers and contract manufacturers.
Machine premiere in laser structuring
Gehring, as an expert in functional surfaces, offers products from the honing, laser honing and laser roughening sectors as well as laser structuring machines to increase static friction. The functional design of the surfaces can sometimes replace complex and expensive processes and components. Gehring will present the new GLS 1000 live in Hanover at the EMO. It can be used as a standalone solution or integrated into a production line. Here, too, Gehring sees itself as a technology partner that develops applications together with the customer.
Gehring CORE
Another Gehring premiere in Hannover will be the new IoT customer platform Gehring CORE, which provides users with individually processed data from their machines. This allows them to take advantage of predictive maintenance and transparent manufacturing. Very specific production analysis and optimization measures also become possible. The user platform can be operated on the customer’s network or as a cloud service.
About the Gehring Group:
With its Gehring and copperING brands, the Gehring Group offers innovative production solutions for highly efficient conventional and electrified powertrains. In the field of precision machining, the company has been shaping the development of honing technology for over 90 years and provides the automotive industry with answers to the current challenges surrounding the combustion engine with its laser roughening, coating and honing processes. The production technology for e-mobility expands the Group’s portfolio and sets new standards in the flexible series production of electric motors.
