Making vehicles more environmentally friendly and efficient - that is the aim of a new research project led by the Chair of "Lightweight Automotive Design" (LiA) at Paderborn University. For this project, the LiA has joined forces with scientists from the Institute of Electrical Engineering and the Software Innovation Lab at Paderborn University as well as the companies BuL Werkzeugbau, MOESCHTER Group, MORYX Industry by Phoenix Contact, Ulrich Rotte Anlagenbau und F?rdertechnik, WestfalenWIND Planung, AEG Power Solutions, INTILION and Kirchhoff Automotive. The project is also closely integrated into the "New Mobility Paderborn" initiative.
The partners in the "Renewable energies for the efficient operation of press hardening lines" (Re?Pli) project began their work with a kick-off event in August. "Re?Pli" is being sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the "progres.nrw - Innovation" initiative with around 3.5 million euros over a period of three years and is being supervised by the project management organisation Jülich.
High-emission production of lightweight components
Up to 40 per cent of modern cars, which are designed to be as light and yet safe as possible, consist of so-called press-hardened components. The reduced weight significantly reduces CO2 emissions during vehicle operation. However, the manufacturing process for these components is associated with high emissions. "In the industrial press hardening process, sheet metal blanks are usually heated in ovens up to 40 metres long. Fossil fuels are usually required to heat these ovens to a temperature of 950 degrees Celsius," explains Prof Dr Thomas Tr?ster, holder of the Chair of LiA and NeMo board member. In addition, the long heating and cooling times mean that the large ovens often continue to be heated even during production downtimes.
Energy-efficient, flexible and space-saving
"Induction heating is based on electrical energy and enables the use of electricity generated from renewable sources. We want to use this method to develop a significantly lower-emission process for heating steel components," says Jonathan Behm, research associate at LiA, describing the research project. Induction offers further advantages: The heat generated directly in the component means that high temperatures can be reached faster and more effectively than before. "This also allows us to make the manufacturing process more space-saving and flexible," says Behm. In order to demonstrate the suitability of the method for series production, the project participants are setting up an integrated production line for press-hardened components with induction heating. They are using digital analyses and software prototypes for operational planning so that optimised business models can be created for all parties involved, including machine owners and battery storage owners.
Transferring theory into practice
The results are already being tested in a real-life environment during the development work. To this end, "Re?Pli" is embedded in the "New Mobility Paderborn" initiative, which links research fields that were previously considered in isolation - mobility research, vehicle concepts, energy systems and digitalisation. More than 70 network partners have already come together in a specially founded association. "In our analyses, we will benefit in future from the numerous interfaces within the 'New Mobility Paderborn' initiative. If we take a holistic view of the energy, ecological and economic aspects, we can fully utilise the advantages of an inductive heating line and dispel any doubts regarding its operability and cost-effectiveness," explains Tr?ster.
