Overcoming e-mobility manufacturing challenges
Manufacturers must adapt to more sustainable manufacturing and production. In automotive, this means machining components for different types of electric vehicles (EVs) with tough materials such as aluminum. But EV designs are more varied than people realize, with fully-electric, different hybrid and battery-powered systems all set to grow in popularity.
Expectations for new low- and zero-emission vehicles are constantly rising. For instance, the European Legislation roadmap aims to reduce the average grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer (g/km) produced by vehicles by a half by 2025, compared to the acceptable limit in 2015.
The introduction of EVs and hybrid vehicles has been a positive step in reducing global emissions, but manufacturing components for electric vehicles is not so easy. Manufacturers must ensure that vehicles are lightweight enough to improve efficiency.
That means using lightweight metals such as aluminum. In addition, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) must produce these components sustainably for a range of EV designs, including fully-electric, hybrids that use both combustion engine and electric motors and battery electric vehicles.
“Electric mobility or e-mobility is more diverse than just pure electric motor-powered vehicles, and the variety means different components present their own machining challenges,” said Fernando Oliveira, Aluminum Automotive sales manager at Sandvik Coromant. “Engine designs for EVs will be less uniform than today’s combustion engine models.”
The M5R90 is a roughing and semi-finishing concept for shoulder milling operations
That’s why Sandvik Coromant has developed its M5 range of dedicated milling cutters for aluminum automotive components. While each tool benefits various machining operations, depending on the application, the tools are customized for thin wall machining of aluminum with minimal burring, scratching and chipping — something that’s often unavoidable with conventional milling cutters.
The M5 family comprises milling cutters with unique axial and radial positioning for easier machining of aluminum. The M5Q90 is a cubing cutter designed to clean the surfaces of newly cast aluminum components. The M5R90 is a roughing and semi-finishing concept for shoulder milling operations. The M5B90 face milling concept is a highly effective milling cutter for super finishing cylinder heads, blocks and other aluminum components with wide cutting engagement.
M5 family cutters M5B90 (left) and M5C90 (right)
The M5C90 offers smooth cutting actions free from burrs, scratches and breakages with indexable inserts in a stepped configuration, which enables roughing and finishing operations in one operation. Finally, the M5F90 is a dedicated face milling cutter for machining thin-walled aluminum components in a single operation.
By using M5 milling cutters, customers have dramatically improved their tool life and productivity, leading to a substantial reduction in cost per part.
E-mobility is paving the way for a greener future, and tools such as the M5 range are contributing to this by offering greater productivity, improved quality and reduced tool wear.
