Successful in new sectors: Effective in the initial phase. Outstanding in the long term.
When a global player in the steel and wire industry makes the strategic decision to define its sweet spot in new markets, it is a well-considered move. Especially when it comes to entering such a dynamic, future-oriented market as e-mobility. A few players are currently dividing up this highly interesting market among themselves and many potential new players are looking forward to the predicted sales figures and their increase. Strategic preparation for market entry and the direct establishment of innovative product differentiation are important prerequisites here.
After the initial strategic considerations and market exploration, the topic of product differentiation was therefore discussed with the leading experts in the new business unit. In this context, the leading minds from technology and business unit development held talks in partnership with the Institute for Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University and the experts for innovative inline measurement technology at HARRANDT.
Established expertise for innovative technology
As a mechanical engineering company, HARRANDT has been a reliable partner and first name in many areas of the automotive industry for many years. This is precisely the approach the company is taking to meet the challenges of the energy transition/transformation and make an important contribution to electromobility with innovative technologies. The high demands of our customer in both the development and production of PEEK-coated wires for the drivetrain fit perfectly with HARRANDT's e-mobility product portfolio.
A milestone in the development process
The desktop module "Digital Micrograph" from HARRANDT is a real game changer compared to the previous possibilities in the PEEK coating process. Thanks to the latest technology, it is possible to create a digital micrograph in the laboratory and analyze the coating thickness within minutes. For our customers, this means enormous savings in terms of time and effort; additional consumables and process-related waiting times for classic micrographs are completely eliminated. In contrast to the classic micrograph, the "digital micrograph" does not require any further pre-treatment or work steps and the operator's influence on the test result is completely eliminated. This not only speeds up the development process for the wire manufacturer's high coating requirements - the systematic serial inspection and storage of the test numbers also ensures the greatest possible safety in order to perfectly match the electrical insulation of the high-voltage wires and design them for the production process. The business unit had no doubts about investing in the "digital micrograph" - they were quickly convinced and recognize the technology as a quantum leap for the rapid development of the e-mobility wire ready for series production.
The inline module for continuous monitoring
The wire testing module is used directly after the PEEK coating process, fully integrated into the production process. This gives the customer full control and transparency over the insulation layer thickness, the external dimensions and the high-voltage resistance of the wire passing through. Every single millimeter of the wire is checked in real time for its specific properties to ensure early fault detection and optimum quality. This enables direct readjustment of the running process and thus an increase in quality and output. In addition, a report is created for each coil and made available to the end customer via the cloud. This is another important step towards networked and data-based production, moving away from inaccurate color marking. With the wire inspection module, errors in production can be reduced to a minimum and transparency in the manufacturing process can be increased. As a manufacturer of sophisticated wire products for the electromobility sector, our customer benefits enormously from the innovative measuring and testing technology in the production process, which brings with it a significant increase in efficiency.
Even in the first few months after commissioning, those responsible agree that the new technology fully meets their expectations.
A success with a future
The increase in efficiency is clearly noticeable both in the development phase and in the manufacturing process: shorter development times, less material consumption, highly accurate measurements, reduced errors during production and therefore shorter machine running times - taken together, the strengths of the HARRANDT modules are probably unique. The successful implementation of the test modules and the ramp-up underline the cooperation, so that the company will continue to rely on HARRANDT's innovative technology in the future and further modules are already being procured. And for HARRANDT, the partnership with the sophisticated wire manufacturer represents a milestone in the field of e-mobility.