Month: March 2024

Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE) – a leading provider of electron beam and laser welding systems – and Ford, today announced that they have won a £430,000 research grant from UKRI’s Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge, which is delivered by Innovate UK. Together the two companies have been awarded a share of a £5.8 million fund to explore the automation and scale up of electron beam welding for the joining of copper and aluminium components used to power electric motors for the automotive industry.

Innovate UK, the UK’s national innovation agency, is investing heavily in electrification technologies – including power electronics, machines, and drives (PEMD) – which can support the UK’s push towards a net zero carbon economy and the development of cleaner technology supply chains.

Under a project entitled EB-eDrive, CVE and Ford are seeking to reduce the time it takes to manufacture hairpin stators, the electromagnet system central to the smooth running of electric vehicle engines. Speeding up this process could help increase the production of electric vehicles in the UK – supporting the Government’s net zero targets. It would also help reinforce the country’s position as a global leader in the research and development of advanced manufacturing technologies.

Electron beam welding is significantly faster than conventional laser welding techniques. The technology is already making a major difference in other clean energy applications – significantly accelerating the pace at which wind turbines and nuclear reactors can be produced while also reducing the amount of energy used and cutting the carbon footprint of associated processes.

Bob Nicolson, CEO of Aquasium Technology – the parent company of Cambridge Vacuum Engineering – said: “We are delighted that EB-eDrive is one of twelve projects awarded a grant by Innovate UK. It’s exciting to be working with Ford Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering and collaborating on such an important research initiative. The potential benefits that electron beam welding can bring to the production of motor stators is huge. As well as looking to reduce manufacturing time, we’ll also be seeing what we can do to improve the quality of hairpin welds to reduce the risk of electrical shortcuts and the production of non-functioning stators. With the funding granted by Innovate UK our aim is to demonstrate how electron beam welding – as an advanced manufacturing technique – can accelerate the green transformation of the UK automotive industry and keep the country at the forefront of global vehicle production and innovation.”

Work on EB-eDrive has already started with CVE and Ford agreeing a scope of works, drawing up preliminary designs and welding some small samples.

CVE has been the recipient of previous Innovate UK grants. In February 2023 the business received funding under UKRI’s Faraday Battery Challenge, which is delivered by Innovate UK and supports the research and development of the most promising, innovative, and sustainable battery technologies for the propulsion of electric vehicles in the automotive sector. The EB-Bat project is a collaboration with Delta Cosworth and TWI to design, build and test an electron beam welding machine that can weld battery busbar components.

Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

For further information about EB-eDrive, please contact: sales@camvaceng.com

(Ends)

An advanced electron beam (EB) welding technology, developed by Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE) has the potential to transform the speed at which small nuclear power stations can be built. In a trial conducted by Sheffield Forgemasters, Cambridge Vacuum Engineering’s Ebflow technology was deployed to cut the amount of time needed to weld a small modular reactor (SMR) pressure vessel demonstrator from more than a year, to less than 24 hours – a move that could help reshape the future of nuclear reactor production worldwide and bridge the gap in the UK’s energy market.

As part of a Government-funded project, Sheffield Forgemasters incorporated Ebflow, operating under local vacuum, into a bespoke, large-scale EB facility at its Brightside Lane site to complete four thick nuclear grade welds on vessels with a diameter of three meters and a wall thickness of 200mm. As well as reducing welding time by an astounding 99%, Ebflow also delivered the superior quality and precision of welds needed to ensure SMRs operate safely – setting a new standard for weld-joining thick-walled components.

Ebflow is a highly advanced fusion welding process with applications across a wide range of industries from oil and gas to nuclear power generation to ship building and more. The technology utilises a focused beam of high-velocity electrons to join metal components together. The main difference to traditional welding methods is that no third-party material is introduced to make the join. This technique enables unparalleled levels of accuracy and efficiency, making it ideal for the intricate welding requirements of primary components used in mission-critical energy applications – including mini nuclear reactors.

Bob Nicolson, Managing Director at CVE, said: “Our partnership with Sheffield Forgemasters demonstrates the power of Ebflow and proves – beyond doubt – the benefits it can deliver when it comes to driving sustainable advancements in the energy sector. We all know the clock is ticking when it comes to climate change. As more governments worldwide sign up to net zero emissions by 2050, the energy industry must embrace technologies – like Ebflow – that can help speed up the deployment of low carbon energy production.”

Sheffield Forgemasters is the only company in the UK with the capability to manufacture the large forgings required for SMRs, and now – thanks to Ebflow – it has years of developmental lead on global competitors in welding thick-walled assemblies.

Dr Michael Blackmore, Senior Development Engineer and Project Lead at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “The implication of industrialised Electron Beam Welding technology within the nuclear industry is monumental, potentially taking high-cost welding processes out of the equation.”

Professor Jesus Talamantes-Silva, Research, Design and Technology Director at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “We are delighted to have reached a significant milestone in assembling a nuclear vessel demonstrator, using electron beam welding for the first time at this scale, with 100 per cent success and no defects.”

Dr Jacob Pope, Development Engineer and LEBW machine tool installation lead at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: We thank the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for enabling the project through its Nuclear Innovation Program. We also thank our esteemed partner, Cambridge Vacuum Engineering, for their invaluable support throughout this endeavour. Their remote and on-site assistance played an instrumental role in the success of this project.”

Ebflow is the result of years of research and development by specialists at CVE, which is headquartered in Cambridge, UK and has regional offices in Beijing, China and Massachusetts, USA, as well as a global network of agents. For more information about CVE go to www.camvaceng.com

-ends-

About Cambridge Vacuum Engineering:

Aquasium Technology Ltd, trading as Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (“CVE”), design and build process solutions and has more than 60 years’ experience manufacturing electron beam (EB) systems in a range of industrial sectors including aerospace, nuclear, automotive, oil and gas, and sensors. The company exports around 95% of its systems with primary markets in USA, China, India, and Europe. CVE’s range of EB welding equipment includes systems ranging from 50-200kV with beam powers up to 100kW. CVE has a team of designers and engineers to enable them to design and build bespoke manufacturing equipment to meet their customer’s requirements.

https://camvaceng.com/

For more information please email: sales@camvaceng.com

About Ebflow:

Ebflow is a local vacuum electron beam welding system, which can be readily transported and operated on-site and applied to structures significantly larger than those that can be accommodated in a vacuum chamber. Ebflow eliminates the need for a vacuum chamber through a local, coarse vacuum, which is established and maintained only where it is needed. Ebflow facilitates very high joint completion rates in thick-section metals and is 20-30 times faster than conventional submerged arc welding: achieving 200mm per minute in 150mm thick steel – allowing for the fastest thick-section rates ever.

https://camvaceng.com/machine/ebflow/

Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE) – a renowned specialist in power beam welding technologies – triumphed at the Energy Institute’s International Energy Awards in London on Thursday 29th February, winning a prestigious industry award for its involvement in the ground-breaking RapidWeld project. CVE and the partners it worked with on RapidWeld were crowned overall winners in the ‘Technology Award’ category, fending off competition from five other shortlisted businesses to reach the coveted top spot.

Every year, the highly anticipated International Energy Awards recognise companies and technologies that are supporting the transition to net zero and / or extending universal access to energy.

The award-winning RapidWeld project saw CVE work alongside industry partners including SSE Renewables, DNV, Sif Netherlands B.V., Agile NDT and The Welding Institute. Together, the consortium fast tracked the production of an offshore wind turbine monopile foundation destined for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm* by harnessing CVE’s innovative Ebflow technology.  During RapidWeld, CVE demonstrated that it is possible to weld monopiles far quicker than current methods. It also proved that Ebflow uses 90% less energy, costs 88% less, and produces 97% less CO2 emissions.

Bob Nicolson, Managing Director at Cambridge Vacuum Engineering, said: “Along with our partners, we are delighted to have been recognised by the Energy Institute.  The success of RapidWeld is testament to the relationships we forged across the consortium; the power of our Ebflow technology; and CVE’s dedication to developing ground-breaking welding systems that can address the complex challenges faced by the energy industry. RapidWeld was an exciting project to work on and we look forward to continuing to push the boundaries of technological advancements in the energy sector with many more projects to come.”

Now in its 25th anniversary year, the International Energy Awards attract entries from businesses across the world that are championing more sustainable ways of working. Winners were decided by an elite judging panel including some of the biggest names in the energy sector such as Dame Angela Strank DBE FRS FREng FIChemE HonFEI. The 2024 International Energy Awards took place at The Grosvenor House, London, on 29^th February 2024.

The Energy Institute is the chartered membership body for professionals working globally across the energy sector. A registered charity, the Energy Institute provides the skills, knowledge and good practice needed to protect the environment during operations and to advance the global energy transition required by the climate emergency.

CVE is headquartered in Cambridge, UK and has regional offices in Beijing, China and Massachusetts, USA, as well as a global network of agents. For more information about CVE go to www.camvaceng.com

-ends-

Footnote:

*The Ebflow welded monopile was installed at Dogger Bank Wind Farm in late February 2024.

About Cambridge Vacuum Engineering:

Aquasium Technology Ltd, trading as Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (“CVE”), design and build process solutions and has more than 60 years’ experience manufacturing electron beam (EB) systems in a range of industrial sectors including aerospace, nuclear, automotive, oil and gas, and sensors. The company exports around 95% of its systems with primary markets in USA, China, India, and Europe. CVE’s range of EB welding equipment includes systems ranging from 50-200kV with beam powers up to 100kW. CVE has a team of designers and engineers to enable them to design and build bespoke manufacturing equipment to meet their customer’s requirements.

https://camvaceng.com/

For more information please email:

sales@camvaceng.com