The Reutlingen E-Mobility Days (RED) are already in their fifth year – and this year, they were held at the new WAFIOS E-Mobility Campus. The hall, which has undergone a complete renovation, provided plenty of space for the co-exhibitors from the e-mobility sector to present their latest technology offerings. Around 200 visitors took part in the three-day event. The RED were jointly founded by WAFIOS AG and Gehring Technologies GmbH. The event is designed to be like a trade fair.
Stators, hairpins, busbars, and axial flux motors are all components that have a place in electric cars. The co-exhibitors at the RED, which were held from October 15 to 17, 2024, showed the curious visitors their solutions.
In addition to the range of exhibits, experts from the sector discussed the latest developments in engine cooling, artificial intelligence, and additive manufacturing – plus much more – in a series of exciting talks.
“The E-Mobility Days in Reutlingen have now become a permanent fixture in the events calendars for many companies. They give them the opportunity to engage with others and see the developments from the sector in the flesh,” explains Dr. Uwe-Peter Weigmann, Speaker of the Board at WAFIOS.
The new E-Mobility Campus brings together research, development, assembly, sales, customer commissioning, and sample production for the e-mobility sector. On the first floor, you can find the machinery hall, while the second floor is home to a balcony with office and meeting rooms. In addition to the fully renovated hall, the founder’s hall also provided plenty of space for the exhibitors.
High Flexibility with the Multi Stator Line
At the RED, WAFIOS presented various products, including machines for the production of hairpins, busbars, and axial flux coils. One particular highlight was the SpeedFormer, a machine for a flexible serial production of hairpins, with many new technical features.
With a new wire-bending tool, the SpeedFormer, as a multi stator line, meets the ever growing requirements of the sector. The new tool makes it possible to switch between three wire sizes, meaning that different products can be produced. In mixed operation, the switch takes around 60 seconds. A second SpeedFormer showed the potential speed of the flexible machine – hairpin production in 1 to 1.5 seconds per bent part.
“The multi stator line allows you to create a production line that combines the highest levels of flexibility with high production output for the very first time. As a result, you can produce hairpins with different geometries and wire dimensions on the SpeedFormer. This saves time when switching from one stator to another. This means that different stators and stator generations can be made on one machinery system in mixed mode without having to do a manual changeover. This saves a great deal of costs and makes the machine future-proof,” explains Dr. Uwe-Peter Weigmann.
Semi-Automatic Straightening Simplifies Production
Four FMU 40 E bending machines demonstrated the production process for hairpins and coils, the new HQ bending process, new iQ functions, and the production of continuous hairpins live. During production, the iQplug&straight software supports operators with the initial adjustment of straightening devices using a straightness measuring device. The semi-automatic system is made up of a measuring unit and RFID chips, which allow communication between the measuring cell and machine. During the initial setup, the straightness of the wire is measured via the measuring cell. The data is sent to the machine’s WPS system via the RFID chip. This then checks the settings at the straightening rollers and suggests setting values to the operator via a digital display. The system’s AI also learns with each wire measurement and is therefore constantly improving the straightening process.
The new bending technique, HQ bending, also makes it possible to bend the complex geometries even more precisely.
From Tube Bending to E-Mobility
In addition to the popular busbar machines, such as the BMF 60, visitors were able to look at a new highlight – TWISTER² 25 RL. The TWISTER² 25 RL can even bend particularly long busbars with ease. The tried-and-tested system from the tube-bending sector is ideal for producing busbars. The TWISTER² tools have been adapted for e-mobility.
“Like a tube, busbars are made of two materials – the plastic sheath and the aluminum or copper core. The tools from the tube-bending sector are very gentle on the material and prevent surface deformation, for example. This is also something you need with busbars. The TWISTER² 25 can handle busbar cross-sections of 300 mm² and lengths up to 3,000 mm. These are dimensions where conventional bending machines reach their limits,” explains Dr. Uwe-Peter Weigmann.
Cooperation Partner Gehring
The SpeedFormer bends the hairpin in record time. The products are then worked further using machinery systems from Gehring Technology GmbH. These provide the same flexibility as the SpeedFormer, producing different stators and stator generations in mixed mode. It is therefore clear that Gehring is synonymous with technologically innovative solutions, extensive expertise in the production technology used for electric drive trains and, last but not least, decades of experience as a system supplier for OEM and TIER1 customers in the automotive and supply industries.
At the RED, Gehring presented a number of products, including the new Gehring inspection system (GIS) – a new measurement technology that can be used both inline and standalone. “With more stable processes and by reducing reject rates, we are improving the entire production process for hairpin stators,” explains Marcell Wardin, Director of Sales & Marketing.
The Research Behind the Development
Innovative production processes are founded on innovative research. That’s why the Institute for Factory Automation and Production Systems (FAPS) at the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen/Nuremberg, the wbk Institute of Production Science at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and the Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) department at RWTH Aachen University also got involved in the RED. The experts presented their research at the stands and in specialist lectures.
An Overview of the Exhibitors
Firma Additive Drives GmbH, a global market leader for 3D-printed electric motors, participated in the RED. ElringKlinger AG presented numerous components for electric motors, transmissions, and inverters. At FOERSTERֹ’s stand, visitors were able to learn about non-destructive testing for metallic materials, metal detection, and magnetics. Hexagon AB presented their developments in measurement technology and automation. As a leading manufacturer of winding wires for e-mobility and wind power, HPW Metallwerk GmbH also got involved. Hyperdrives GmbH presented the development and production of electric drive systems cooled by waveguides. Keyence Deutschland GmbH, a technology leader for sensors, measuring systems, marking systems, identification systems, microscopes, and image processing systems, also made an appearance. Lambda Resins GmbH develops casting resins for electric motors and presented its Lambdapox casting resin. Machine and tool factory Nagel demonstrated its numerous developments and products for adhesive bonding, sealing, casting, and engineering. Standard-Metallwerke GmbH, which covers semi-finished products, components, and busbars, also joined in. The company Trumpf informed visitors about their machines for laser paint stripping and applying electrical contacts by lasers.