30 Credit – Electrodeposition of electrical insulating polymers onto copper: procedures and testing i Sodertalje

Scania genomgår nu en transformation från att vara en leverantör av lastbilar, bussar och motorer till en leverantör av kompletta och hållbara transportlösningar.

Scania is going through a transformation to become the provider of complete and sustainable transport solutions.

BACKGROUND
The fabrication of sustainable and environmentally friendly products and solutions often require the development of new technical methods. As an example, the electrical machine is intended to replace or be combined with combustion engines in the near future. Electrical machines have a long history in trains and generators, and the way different materials behave and interact in those applications are well documented. However, these systems can not be directly transferred to the anticipated transport solutions that Scania intends to deliver to the end customer in the future.

The electrical machines are formed by conducting metals, such as copper wires, and insulation materials, mainly polymer-based. Specifically, the copper wire must be covered with an insulation material, called strand insulator, such as polyamideimine (PAI), polyesterimides (PEI) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK). Nowadays, the strand insulation is enameled by running the wire through a varnish (solvent and resin) multiple times. However, this process comes with some disadvantages such as:

• The geometry of the copper wire
• The presence of pin holes in the surface of the insulator
• Irregular coverage

TARGET
In the last years, a significant amount of research in electrodeposition of resins onto different metals has been technologically advanced. Using this method, the geometries of the copper wire are only limited by the size of the reaction vessel, obtaining a controlled, regular, and pin hole-free and potentially thinner insulator layer. In this thesis, an electrodeposition system involving copper wires and commercially available resins, is going to be applied, and the resulting material will be characterized and tested in order to assess the physical and chemical properties of the coating.

This Master’s thesis will be done in the department of Materials Technology for Electrification, Electronics and Transmission at Scania R&D in Södertälje, Sweden.

ASSIGNMENT
Literature study on the different methods for electrodeposition of resins onto copper. Performing and verifying an auspicious electrodeposition method and characterizing the resulted material. A big amount of laboratory work is intended to be performed during this project:

• Understand the electrodeposition method and the properties of available resins
• Design and perform electrodeposition experiments using a model copper wire and commercially available resins
• Characterize the physical and chemical properties of the insulation layer using different instruments and techniques (SEM, EDX, LOM, FT-IR, TGA, and DSC)
• Assess the versatility of the technique to be used in production
• Write a report and hold an oral presentation about the obtained results

EDUCATION
M.Sc. Student in: Chemistry or Materials Engineering
Number of students:1
Start of work: Autumn 2019/Winter 2020, no later than February 2020
Estimated duration: 20 weeks, full time 40 hours per week
Language of work: Good knowledge in English is required
Meritorious: Macromolecular materials and/or electrochemistry, Previous experience in working laboratory environments, Good knowledge in Swedish

Contact person and supervisor

Mattias Forslund, Ph.D., Development Engineer, Materials Technology, 0855371470

• Title: 30 Credit – Electrodeposition of electrical insulating polymers onto copper: procedures and testing
• Business area: Research and Development
• Country: Sweden
• City: Sodertalje
• Last application date: 2019-10-13
• Job Id: 20193633