28 n MOTORS May 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com Rotor test facility aims to make UK a leader in machine development A system for testing highperformance electrical machines and rotating machinery – the first of its kind in the UK – is being installed at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), with the aim of putting the UK at the forefront of hybrid and electric propulsion developments. “This £1.2m investment – in the UK's first open-access, high-speed rotor spin test capability at the AMRC – is a major boost for UK manufacturing and our drive to netzero,” explains Geraint Jewell, professor of electrical engineering at the University. “The combination of the size of rotors which can be tested, and the state-of-the-art instrumentation, will accelerate the development of next-generation hybrid and electric propulsion, strengthening our global competitiveness and reinforcing the UK’s leadership in green technologies.” Component testing The new machine – a Schenck Centrio 100 system – has been installed at AMRC’s Factory 2050 facility to support the design, production and validation of electrical machine rotors and other rotating components. It will allow component-level testing at speed and elevated temperatures to simulate in-service conditions. Together with the other capabilities at the AMRC – which is part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult – the facility will help to rapidly manufacture, test and iterate designs for high-performance electrical and rotating machines, closing the loop between design, manufacturing and performance. The installation has been funded by UKRI’s Driving the Electric Revolution (DER) Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK, and secured by the Driving the Electric Revolution Industrial Centres (DER-IC) network. DER-IC is a group of more than 30 university and research and technology organisations that support UK industry in developing manufacturing technologies needed to reach net-zero. It aims to boost the UK’s PEMD (power electronics, machines and drives) manufacturing capabilities. “Due to the lack of a UK-based openaccess facility for high-speed rotor spin testing and certification, UK manufacturers are often compelled to offshore essential testing, such as product certification – facing long lead-times and limited availability,” explains DER-IC chair, Professor Mike Capaldi. “This reduces the overall access to testing during process and product development, making advanced rotor testing rare, despite the benefits and cost savings it could yield. The installation of this equipment is a significant milestone in our mission to grow UK manufacturing in PEMD to power net-zero.” Critical to net-zero According to Lloyd Tinkler, AMRC’s senior technical fellow for electrical machines, rotating electrical machines are critical to net-zero, and the ability to design and manufacture high-integrity and reliable high-speed rotors is a key differentiator in many high-value and power-dense applications, such as future propulsion systems. “The new spin test capability and the insight from the data-rich testing will be a key tool for us in advancing the performance of these key components,” he says, “offering a unique and exciting opportunity to close the loop on the manufacturing research we are doing at the AMRC to support UK industry in developing high-performance electrical machines that are key to the transition towards net-zero. “While it will greatly benefit various sectors using high-speed rotors,”Tinkler adds, “the facility also has the sensitivity to measure rotor-dynamic and structural phenomena in medium-speed rotors, which will open up further opportunities across a broader range of sectors and applications. We’re looking forward to the innovations and ideas from the PEMD manufacturing sector and the future we can create together.” Following commissioning, the rotor spin tester will be available for commercial, collaborative and board-directed research projects. It is expected to be popular with the UK aerospace industry, which needs high-power and high-speed rotors, as well as the motorsport and mainstream automotive sectors. n A new facility in She eld for testing high-speed rotors is intended to put the UK at the forefront of designing and building high-performance machines. The high-speed rotor testing facility at the AMRC has cost £1.2m to commission
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