AMRC led ROBOMAG project streamlines offshore wind generator production

Magnetic gear technology company Magnomatics wants to explore how robotic technologies can optimise the manufacturing process and drive big productivity improvements for its wind turbine generators, which form part of its Pseudo Direct Drive (PDD) generator technology portfolio.

The Sheffield-based company teamed up with engineers at the AMRC’s Factory 2050 to automate its current manual process which involves operators painstakingly placing 204 large magnets - each weighing 18kg and capable of generating a magnetic force of up to 3kN - using jigs and lead screws to carefully slide the magnets into position, taking up to an hour for each magnet. The ROBOMAG project, led by the AMRC’s Dr Alexei Winter, uses cutting edge robotics technology to hugely speed up the process - taking less than a minute to place a magnet.

Dr Winter said: “By creating a practical demonstration of robotic magnet placement we’re able to show the huge gains to be made by Magnomatics, namely reducing the time it takes to position each magnet from nearly an hour to just 55 seconds - and there is potential to reduce the time even further.  What this project does is allow Magnomatics to better understand how the process can be automated in the future to facilitate the growth of their wind turbine generator manufacture.”