The push for electric vehicles (EVs) is nothing new. In fact, Roberson Machine Company has noticed a strong, consistent uptick in parts and projects from the automotive and OEM automotive industries.
Now, IHS Markit predicts that 25 percent of all passenger vehicles sold worldwide will be electric by 2030, while Bloomberg forecasts at least two-thirds of global car sales will be electric by 2040. All this despite EVs accounting for less than 1 percent of the 250 million motor vehicles currently operating in the U.S. The inventory of automobiles is currently, in general, less than demand due to the supply chain issues of 2020 and 2021, leaving the market wide open for accelerated growth.
The automotive manufacturers that learned from the pandemic reassessed their production processes to maximize cost containment. That frequently meant fine-tuning and optimizing their CNC machining approach — pondering the ability to switch from manufacturing mainly internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to EVs. Luckily, Roberson Machine Company and its specialized CNC machinery is here to help you and your company stay ahead of the automotive industry curve.
Call us today at 573-646-3996 or contact us online.
What Are the Concerns Associated With Manufacturing EVs Rather Than ICEs?
The most obvious concerns when manufacturing EVs rather than ICEs, rather than dealing with a shorter acronym, are reducing weight, achieving the precision necessary for making battery packs, and producing internal components with longer lifespans than their ICE counterparts. Roberson Machine Company’s ideal CNC machining center, utilizing the most up-to-date software, allows us to move quickly from prototyping to mass production, all the while staying ahead of regulatory deadlines.
Reducing Weight of EVs
Any piece of equipment on a modern EV has been designed, modified, and then redesigned to eliminate weight, drag, and friction as much as possible, including:
- Body panels are made from innovative dyes, manufactured by our powerful 5-axis machining services.
- Lightweight aerospace materials are used for many of an EV’s parts, but often these are difficult to machine for competitors who rely on traditional processes. We use our CNC machining services, powered by CAM software, that provides detailed simulations and continuously monitors our procedure.
- Internal components are pocketed to reduce overall mass. Reaching these compartments without multiple setups would be virtually impossible without multi axis machining.
Machining Batteries for EVs
The battery pack of an EV is essentially a stack of vital components — battery cells within battery modules within the battery pack attached to the vehicle frame. CNC machining is necessary for:
- Batteries need to be protected from vibration and environmental factors like extreme temperatures and moisture. Their seals must be tight and perform better than those in an ICE, because electric motors operate at greater speeds and temperatures.
- Parts like rotary shafts, linear ball bushings, and configurable plates can only be made with precision machining.
Meeting Tight Tolerances For EVs
Even though they perform at high speeds and temperatures, consumers expect less maintenance on EVs. There are fewer overall components in an electric motor, so we flawlessly manufacture these parts for our OEM customers to meet this expectation by:
- Parts must have perfect surface finishes that require little deburring.
- Any pocketing that is done must not alter the strength of the machined part, so we certify that the tolerance of each stepover and step down is accurate to thousandths of an inch.
CNC Machining For The Automotive Industry in the Electric Vehicle Era | Roberson Machine Company
Roberson Machine Company has the capabilities to change with the times just as EV production really starts to ramp up, staying ahead of the curve among CNC machining companies. We support small production runs, as well as large ones, and we are capable of contracting with small businesses who require single-part prototypes or large corporations needing 100,000+ parts.
We are ideally situated in a central location — on our own land and in our own facilities — for fast delivery times and access to major markets. Call us today at 573-646-3996 or contact us.
