Electric Vehicles

The Electric Vehicle (EV) industry has many challenging manufacturing and user requirements including battery range, part durability, gear noise, and the need for component weight reductions. EV gear manufacturing is especially challenging due to the need for low surface roughness on fine pitch gearing as well as enhanced coast-side gear wear.

PART SIZES AND PRODUCTION SCALING

REM’s ISF® Process is an isotropic superfinishing technology that is proven to significantly increase the efficiency, performance, and life of metal to metal contact power transfer components for a range of EV component applications.  For smaller components (~2-3″/50-75 mm in diameter or less), large processing lots and low process costs can be achieved, and when coupled with automated part handling (loading/unloading), this surface finishing/polishing process technology can effectively and efficiently be incorporated into high volume production lines.

For larger parts or components that demand a more single-piece flow, REM’s Rapid ISF® Process is capable of delivering all of the performance benefits of the ISF Process while reducing cycle times from, on average 1 – 4 hours to <10 minutes.  As a near single-piece flow/just-in-time (JIT) production system, the Rapid ISF Process and its associated equipment are well-suited to full production automation in both existing and new production lines.

Both the ISF Process and the Rapid ISF Process are proven to be effective in delivering low roughness surfaces while maintaining component geometry and contact pattern without increasing noise, harshness, or vibration (NVH) across all common gear design variants (spur, helical, and spiral bevel).  Additionally, these isotropic superfinishing technologies have been effectively applied to a wide range of non-gear applications including bearings and shaft components.

The increases to component load carrying capacity/power density allowable that the ISF® Surface generates can allow design engineers to downsize components or increase power input to the gear system.  The improved surface roughness and unique surface texture generated by REM’s ISF® Technology can allow for further gearbox optimization through reductions in lubricant viscosity due to the increased lambda ratio of mating ISF Surfaces. Additionally, the unique surface characteristics of the ISF Surface provide addition operating safety margin for components due to their increased resistance to scuffing damage.

EV SOLUTIONS: ISF & RAPID ISF APPLICATIONS

  • Transmission Gears
  • Transaxle Gears
  • Final Drive Gears
  • Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Drive Components
  • Bearings
  • Shafts

COMPONENT BENEFITS FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS

  • Reduced Friction/Roughness
  • Increased Battery Range
  • Increased Resistance to Micropitting
  • Increased Resistance to Scuffing
  • Increased Pitting Resistance
  • Increased Resistance to Contact and Bending Fatigue
  • Increased Part Durability/Reduce Wear
  • Reduced Lubricant/System Operating Temperatures
  • Reduced Vibration and Noise
  • Increased Power Density Allowable/Component Load Carrying Capacity
  • Reduced Lubrication Requirements and Cost (anti-wear additives, etc.)
  • Increased Lubricant Lambda Ratio
  • Eliminated Break-in/Run-in Requirement
  • Reduced Metal Debris Generation

PRODUCTION BENEFITS FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS

  • Eliminate Secondary Lapping Steps
  • Reduce or Eliminate Honing
  • Eliminate Phosphating
  • Reduce Grinding Surface Finish Requirements
  • Reduce or Optimize Deburring and Chamfering Operations

APPLICABLE ALLOYS

  • Carbon Steels (ex. SAE 8620, 9310, 4140, 4340, DIN 34CrNiMo6)
  • Aluminum Alloys
  • Bearing Steels (ex. AISI 52100/DIN 100Cr6)

AUTO COMPONENT FORMING METHODS IMPROVED BY ISF

  • Ground (Machined)
  • Milled
  • Turned
  • Hobbed
  • Skived
  • Pressed and Sintered
  • Honed
  • Lapped

Interested in learning more, ready to start a project, or have an application that you don’t see listed here?  Contact us today to see how we can help solve your surface finishing/polishing needs.