Advanced Materials for Highly Integrated Drives

This project led by Drive System Design and supported by the National Composite Centre is investigating the development of a novel highly integrated electric drive unit. These will ultimately improve operation efficiency and help towards the delivery of zero emissions, as well as reshoring manufacturing capacity and capabilities to the UK.

Drive System Design (DSD) is an innovative engineering consultancy specialising in design, development and control of driveline systems. It was founded in 2007 and has inherited decades of experience from its key personnel each of whom are leaders in their individual fields of engineering. Working directly for OEMs or Tier 1s or other specialist consultants, DSD supports the industry with a range of services focussed on delivering innovative driveline and powertrain solutions. . In design engineering, this encompasses the generation of concept drivetrain configurations rights through to the micron sensitive design of gear tooth micro-geometry to achieve the most ambitious refinement targets. In control engineering, skills span from the generation of entire suites of software to the ultra-high speed control of electrically actuated systems working at more than 50 kHz. In test and development DSD has one of the largest capabilities in the UK covering the highly accurate characterisation of precision actuators & electronics up to vehicle level dynos with 28,000 Nm capability. DSD also has a proven track record in the build of prototype systems.

Opened in 2011 and forming a core part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, the National Composites Centre's (NCC) mission is to accelerate the growth of UK industrial output by enabling design and manufacturing enterprises to deliver winning solutions in the application of composites. It offers opportunities to companies, of any size, to develop, scale-up and validate new and existing composites processes and related simulation tools. The NCC currently has more than forty members from a wide range of industrial sectors. Since its inception, the NCC has been involved in collaborative projects working with a wide range of funding bodies from Innovate UK, the Aerospace Technology Institute, Clean Skies and Horizon 2020 among others. Within this collaboration, the NCC will lead the application of high performance materials and the design and development of a cost effective high volume manufacturing process.