(March 16, 2011)
The company has signed an agreement with a leading international provider of automotive mechatronic drive and pump solutions to supply ceramic components for hybrid and electric vehicles.
Morgan Technical Ceramics is providing ceramic components for three water cooling pumps that will be used in each vehicle to cool the high energy battery, the cabin heater and the power electronics loop that drives the vehicle.
Ceramic has exceptional mechanical and chemical properties and is extremely hard wearing. As a result, it gives excellent performance in harsh environments where aggressive glycol coolants are used and has a much longer life than alternative materials like stainless steel. This makes it ideal for the pumps which are designed to operate continuously, whether the vehicle is running or recharging.
High grade alumina ceramic also has excellent thermal stability through a wide range of temperatures and it is 2.5 times lighter than steel, resulting in additional energy efficiency benefits.
Ceramic components are quiet in operation over extended periods due to their wear-resistance. This is particularly important in hybrid and electric vehicles where engines are quiet and minor noises are noticeable. In contrast, wearing of steel shafts is more likely to result in pits and grooves in the shafts, causing vibration and noise.
Morgan Technical Ceramics is a single source supplier of the precision ground alumina shafts and bearings. It was selected for the project because of its expertise with precision ceramic components for specialist pump applications and its ability to manufacture ceramic to extremely tight tolerances.
The company was also an essential development partner in the design process, providing consultation on material specifications, finishing requirements and technical features of the shafts and bearings. Its technical support was key to solving the design challenges associated with the pumps’ small diameter shafts and bearings.
The ceramic components are being manufactured at the company’s facility in Stourport, UK, which produces precision ceramic components for Europe’s primary manufacturer of domestic circulating pumps. Morgan Technical Ceramics is also able to use experience gained from its high volume manufacturing facility and detailed knowledge of pump applications to optimise manufacturing of the smaller ceramic components needed for the hybrid vehicle cooling pump application.
“We are delighted to win this contract and that our components are being used in next generation vehicles, helping to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions,” says Chris Paine, applications engineer at Morgan Technical Ceramics. “The pump containing our ceramic components has gone through a rigorous trial and testing process and we are pleased that it has passed the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) used by many automotive companies to qualify their component and process service suppliers. Now more customers in automotive markets can realise the benefits of using ceramic.”
Morgan Technical Ceramics is actively engaged in expanding its expertise into hybrid and electric vehicles used in public transportation, including buses and trains, and discussions are under way with systems manufacturers to optimise device performance by using ceramic components. The ceramic components are also being used in a variety of other hybrid and electric automotive applications now being designed.
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