Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE), in collaboration with
Ford, has successfully concluded the EB-eDrive project, a £430,000 initiative funded by
Innovate UK under its Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge. The project has demonstrated that advanced electron beam welding (EBW) can significantly improve the manufacture of electric motor stators, offering enhanced quality and repeatability in production processes.
The findings are expected to support the UK’s ambitions in electric vehicle (EV) production and contribute to its ‘net zero’ carbon goals. As demand for EVs continues to rise, manufacturers face challenges in reducing costs while maintaining high performance and durability. One critical component is the motor stator, which requires precise engineering to optimise efficiency.
Using CVE’s proprietary EBW technology, the project proved that copper hairpin stators can be joined effectively without the need for pre-weld preparation such as trimming. Unlike infrared lasers, the electron beam is unaffected by reflectivity issues, allowing for a more streamlined process. The resulting welds displayed tensile strengths averaging six times the minimum requirement and were completely pore-free, thanks to the vacuum environment which facilitates outgassing in oxygen-free copper.
CVE CEO Bob Nicolson said: “As automotive brands look to deliver higher-performance, longer-range EVs at lower costs, it is clear that electron beam welding has a major role to play. We are seeing the same story play out in other industries — for example in the energy sector where electron beam welding can enhance the production of wind turbine monopiles and nuclear pressure vessels. We are grateful to Innovate UK for this funding. Projects like this open the door for the commercialisation of advanced manufacturing technologies and will help the UK remain at the forefront of EV production — we look forward to working with Ford moving forwards.”
Clear opportunityLee Turner, Ford’s director of EU Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering, added: “The Ford Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering team are continuously engaged in work to deliver improvements in the quality and efficiency of motor (stator) hairpin weld processes. Our developments of laser parameters setup and repair processes have been industry-leading but we now see clear opportunity to make further progress through the potential adoption of electron beam welding.
“We are grateful to have collaboration partners like CVE to work with as we investigate routes to full-scale industrialisation of this technology. Their unparalleled knowledge, experience and expertise are invaluable in the delivery of the project.”
Venn Chesterton, deputy director of Driving the Electric Revolution at Innovate UK, said: “This project has brought together multiple actors within the UK advanced electronic manufacturing ecosystem to develop a truly world-class technology, which is going to be used in manufactured at scale in the UK and around the globe. This is just one example of the numerous projects backed by Innovate UK which are ensuring that UK manufacturing supply chains will prosper from electrification.”
The EB-eDrive project marks a significant step forward in the industrialisation of electron beam welding for EV applications, with potential benefits extending across multiple sectors of UK manufacturing.