CASE STUDIES
Enhancing the Manufacturability of H55’s Novel Battery Pack for Electric Aircraft
WHO WAS THE CUSTOMER & WHAT IS THEIR BACKGROUND?
H55 is a Swiss based Aerospace company, with 20 years of experience in the electric aircraft market. The company designs and manufactures cutting edge, electric propulsion, and battery management systems for electric aircraft. It has major collaborations with Pratt and Whitney amongst others. In addition to it’s facility in Sion, Switzerland, the company has recently expanded into the North American market with a new production facility in Quebec, Canada. This is due to go live in late 2024.
WHAT WAS THE BRIEF & WHY WERE HSSMI BROUGHT IN?
The electric aerospace market is developing at great speed. H55 are developing a cutting edge new electric propulsion system to meet the needs of the growing market. A key element of this is the design of the battery cell / module manufacture and assembly configuration, which is key in terms of both power density and packaging flexibility to fit dynamically inside the aircraft hull.
H55 engaged HSSMI to undertake a design for manufacturing assessment of the cell – module design, to improve the ‘manufacturability’ of the product at high volume production levels. HSSMI is a knowledge leader in the manufacturing of electric powertrains for both automotive and aerospace applications and has extensive global experience in the manufacturing system design for cell manufacturing as well as module and pack assembly.
WHAT DID HSSMI DO TO DELIVER THE RESULTS?
Working closely with the H55 engineering team, HSSMI conducted a comprehensive Design for Manufacture (DFM) assessment, comprising of the following activities:
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- Current State Product and Process Data understanding to establish a foundation.
- Design impact assessment (cost) for assembly/disassembly processes
- Tolerances and Controls (tooling & process impact)
- Process Suitability & Validation (pre-production testing)
- Simultaneous Engineering principles for streamlined development process
- Volume scale up plan for assembly at growing volumes over time
- Automation opportunities identification
- Design modularity principles & best practice
- Opportunities for reduction in part count & complexity
- Standardised component design best practice
- Bonding best practice for assembly – Welding, riveting, gluing, fasteners
- Wire Bonding Support
WHAT IMPACT HAS THIS MADE?
HSSMI delivered a comprehensive and wide ranging DFM assessment of the H55 cell to module design. The expertise provided by HSSMI was very well received by the H55 engineering teams, who implemented a number of key changes to the module design as a result of HSSMI’s recommendations. Key elements were the simplification of the module housing, joints and rivets and improved access for assembly. This has led to an improved module design to support high volume manufacturing without compromising on the product performance characteristics.
H55 Case StudySend download link to: |
For all press, media or general enquiries, please contact David Stewart on david.stewart@hssmi.com
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