Southwest Manufacturing News • May 22 • Solutions to Meet EV Industry Demands

“Electric vehicles will dominate the market within a matter of years,” said an SW North America, Inc. spokesperson. “Competitive factors such as pricing, mileage and selection are improving to the point where EVs will soon present equally attractive—if not outright better—alternatives to traditional gas-owered vehicles. Further, governments worldwide have sought to mitigate the infrastructural roadblocks to widespread adoption of EVs by addressing the dearth of charging stations and by implementing perks such as priority parking and tax rebates. An additional requirement for this shift to take place is the preparedness of the manufacturers themselves.”

The demands of the EV industry are not one in the same as the needs of traditional gas vehicle production. Machining large structural components made of light metal, such as battery trays, is one of the biggest EV manufacturing challenges. This type of machining can be complicated and time consuming—two things that can hold manufacturers back from meeting increasing production goals. Machine, automation and system solutions supplier SW recently released the BA space3 specifically for machining in the electric vehicle industry that meets these needs today and into the future.

With an installation footprint of 25.3 sq. m, the BA space3 is the largest in SW’s lineup. It features an XYZ working range of 3,000 mm x 1,800 mm x 875 mm. On each of these axes, the HSK 63 spindle is able to reach a rapid traverse of 120 m/min, with a chip-to-chip time of 4-4.25s (depending on which optional features a customer selects). Its speed is due in large part to the linear drives in all feed axes. The resulting high dynamism and positioning accuracy reduces idle time and ups productivity— both of which are indispensable when it comes to meeting high demand for high-volume and bulky components.

The BA space3 features enhanced flexibility. SW designed a swivel head specifically for the 5-axis version of the machine (the A- and C-axes are in the head itself). This enables machining from all angles while cutting down on the need to purchase further rotary tables. The other variant features an HSK63 spindle, enabling straightforward correction in all axes, thus increasing quality.

The Q-axis contributes to the dynamism of the 3-axis, rigid spindle variant. It can be turned for greater access to the workpiece. The Q-axis interference circle is Ø2,200 mm x 3,480 mm. The distance to the rotary table is 425 mm to 1,300 mm for the rigid spindle variant, and 165 mm to 1,040 mm for the swivel head.

In both variants, the table can accommodate more than just large parts. It is flexible and precise enough to machine subparts to be mounted together and brought back to the machine to be processed into the main part as a whole. After the machining process is finished, the finished components are rinsed out with coolant in the loading area.

The tool magazine has been designed as a chain and can hold 40-80 tools including special tools in unique shapes and sizes.

Demand for EV parts is increasing rapidly and will continue to do so moving forward. Automation that simplifies the machining processes while supporting traceability is important for success. The BA space3 can be interfaced with automation from SW. Loading is possible via robot or other lifting aid such as a crane. Robot loading is enabled with either a portal solution in front of and above the machine or a floor solution. The machine is accessible either through the open top or the automatic L-shaped door. There is a drip tray to enable clean workpiece transport. Manual loading is possible from the front; however, it is limited by the size and weight of the component being loaded.

The BA space3 user experience is intuitive for operators due to the C|one control panel, SW’s latest HMI. Among its many benefits is its interface for further software (e.g., the SW Core Portal). The 24” display is a multitouch panel with force feedback to mitigate the risk of unintentional input. Tool management is intuitive, and dashboards are clearly delineated into application/service commissioning. Users can monitor the service life status of tools, retrieve details, filter tools by process, cutting layers and indicates when a space is blocked due to an especially large tool.

Additionally, the machine can be fitted with a portable HMI. Status can be monitored cable-free, and it provides a plant overview with remote capabilities, provided the HMI is connected to the company network. The BA space3 comes with SW Core software integrated. It is secured with chip authorization needed for access.

The IO-Link is another asset with regard to Industry 4.0. It acts as a standardized interface for communication between sensors and actuators. It enables straightforward parameter management, performance data monitoring, access to device and diagnostic information. With SW life Services, data evaluation is significantly enhanced. The central data is stored in the PLC. It enables simple component replacement in the plug & play solution. The IO-Link enables more data acquisition, simplifies component exchange for plug & play and enables remote diagnosis up to the sensor/actuator. This improves data evaluation via the cloud, saves on service through faster detection of malfunctions and reduces downtime and necessitates fewer and shorter service calls.