News Research & Development

We are going through a period of profound change in the electric motor market, driven by continuous change in global market conditions, advancing innovation and the increasing importance of sustainability at all levels.

Compared to the past, each company in the production chain has to respond to the next in line with increasing product and service quality.

This all requires investment in know-how, production and process digitalisation in order to optimise the end result in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. All players in the supply chain are expected to specialise their own processes in order to output not just a product but a solution.

In addition to being a change at an organisational and process level, it is really a change at a cultural level, which involves the whole company and starts from the desire to excel in providing the customer with added value created through optimising the resources in the Came – customer supply chain.

This idea has led us to embark on a partnership with many of our customers, and thereby develop a range of useful services to allow them to focus on activities with greater added value, optimising the final output through combining the resources of both partners more fruitfully.

This mutual exchange process has brought product innovation, an exchange of knowledge, cost rationalisation and efficiency, transforming our organisation and our mindset towards a “customer-centric” business approach.

For windings and die-casting co-design, our R&D services are designed to provide the know-how we have gained through over 40 years of experience, and production of 23,000 windings and 35,000 die-castings per day.

Every customer can count on the availability of a team of specialist technicians to carry out technical testing in order to improve end product efficiency.

We provide procurement and logistics support including purchasing raw materials and components and integrating the supply chain with consignment stock. We also provide digital tools to share all useful information for order management in real time with reserved access to the Came Portal.

Our solution is an integrated service from design and creation of die-castings and windings, through component procurement, assembly, warehouse management, up to logistics.

Came has experienced continuously increasing demand for services since 2020, reflecting the importance of supply chain partnerships in achieving common market goals.

Download our new Came Services brochure here.

Came has accrued significant know-how in creating wound stators for BLDC (Brushless Direct Current) motors, whose characteristics make them essential in a wide range of applications such as e-bikes, electric vehicles, HVAC, handling and many other fields of use.

The most important applications of BLDC motors include thermal cyclers, which hit the news in 2020 as the most useful tool nations have to analyse swabs taken from the population and keep the Covid19 epidemic under control.

Swabs are sticks with cotton pads to collect nasal mucous and pulmonary fluids. The sample is placed in a test tube and inserted into a thermal cycler, a machine that has been used for years to identify other pathologies such as common flu.

The thermal cycler heats and amplifies the genetic material of the virus through a polymerase chain reaction.
It is a compact instrument that uses discs with specific reagents to identify Covid19.
Thermal cyclers can very accurately analyse several samples at the same time, and provides results in just a few hours.

These devices must offer extremely reliable analysis quality and results, so they use Brushless Direct Current motors because of the following benefits:

– High efficiency;
– Stable rotation;
– Maintenance free;
– Small size;
– Long service life.

Came can boast lengthy experience in prototyping, industrialisation and production of wound stators for BLDC motors, thanks to a range of machines that will be expanded in the coming years to effectively meet customer needs.

European Business is one of Europe’s most international business magazines, offering its readers around the world a global business perspective on the people, companies, and ideas that are shaping economic development in Europe.

Cristian and Matteo Chilese, CEOs of Came, a leading European electric motor winding company, were interviewed on topics such as electrification, e-mobility, sustainability, energy efficiency and Brushless BLDC motor products.

Cristian and Matteo illustrated Came’s strategy of entering the automotive, lighting, gas and automation markets through investment in IATF 16949:2016 certification for die-casting in order to provide customers with a complete solution.

Came’s expansion goals in foreign markets, including Germany, are based on continual investment in lean and just-in-time processes, logistics and the new Came portal, which allows customers to follow the status of orders and prices in real time.

Read the full interview here to find out more.

Portal.Came-Italy.com

The five Cs of good communication: clarity, completeness, conciseness, concreteness and correctness.
(Anonymous)

Good company communication is not only important when making initial contact with business partners, but must be considered periodically, changed and implemented every day.

The web portal is taking on an increasingly important role among the new tools for communication and interaction between business partners.

The institutional website, to which we have become accustomed, is now supported by a portal, which is mainly intended for the purpose of sharing and providing customised access. It gathers information that is relevant to the user’s context to facilitate interaction between companies.

Came activated its customer portal in 2018 as part of an innovative business vision and to consolidate business partnerships.

The Came portal is a window onto internal operations, offering users a real-time update on the progress of their activities.
– Created with very clear graphics for fast and very intuitive consultation;
– Use can be adapted to the type of user, selecting just one or several sections of interest;
– The tool undergoes continuous improvement and expansion, thanks to the internal work of our EDP department, which collects suggestions resulting from the experiences of our partners.

And soon it will become even more interactive, allowing die-cast material to be booked from the catalogue after consulting the just-in-time stock and availability of any similar items ready for delivery.

Came confirms the attitude that makes it a transparent and innovative business partner aiming for continuous service improvement through continuous interaction with its contacts and the market.

Came, which is ISO 9001:2015 certified, has decided to obtain IATF 16949:2016 certification for its die-casting process in order to adopt the quality standards required by the automotive world.

Came’s choice shows its commitment to continual organisational and structural growth, which will ensure benefits for both new and current customers.

The benefits of certification are aimed at greater customer satisfaction, process improvement, and an approach to quality that will further reinforce Came as a reliable global supplier and partner.

The certification process will take 12 months.

The certification process will be divided as follows:

Initial analysis
This activity serves to define the project. It consists of a series of initial audits for the various company sectors, conducted according to the IATF 16949 standard.

Acquisition of the reference standard
Acquisition of the reference standard and customer-specific requirements (CSR), and relative training.

Training and use of automotive-specific techniques
Acquisition of technical manuals and relative training to set up risk analyses according to IATF:
APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning), FMEA (Failure Model Effect analysis), SPC (Statistical Process Control)
PPAP (Production Part Approval Process), MSA (Measurement System Analysis).

IATF 16949 implementation
Adapting the system documentation to the IATF standards.

IATF 16949 certification
Preparation for the certification body audit, possibly with pre-audits.

In this article, we explore the issue of partial discharges, the impact they have on the lifetime of electric motors, and what solutions we can adopt to reduce their effect.

For a number of years inverters have been used to regulate the speed of electric motors, and more generally to use motors under different load and consumption conditions (see the energy efficiency topic), which has introduced problems associated with electrical insulation stress due to the non-harmonic supply voltage waveform.

In fact, in the figure on the right we can see that the signal is not sinusoidal, but a train of pulses that vary in length, which are modulated to reproduce the equivalent of a sine wave. In particular, we can see overvoltages or peaks on the rising and falling edges caused by the inverter switching.

If the insulation system is not strong enough, these overvoltages produce small electrical discharges, known as “microdischarges” or partial discharges (PD), which are concentrated in cavities in the insulation, and specifically:
1) Between the windings of different phases, especially the initial windings where the voltage is higher;
2) Between the windings and earth;
3) Between different windings of the same phase.

These microdischarges can erode the insulation over time, eventually causing a complete discharge that irreparably damages the winding.

These observations inevitably give rise to some questions:
– Is it possible to protect a winding from these overvoltages introduced by an inverter?
– Is it possible to check if a winding is able to withstand such phenomena?
– Is it possible to assess the insulation ‘strength’ of a winding powered by an inverter?

A number of standards have been published in recent years to answer these and other questions, namely:
– IEC 60034-18-41, “Partial discharge free electrical insulation systems …”
– IEC/TS 60034-25, “Guide for the design of cage induction motors specifically designed for converter supply”
– IEC/TS 60034-27, “Off-line partial discharge measurements…”
– IEC/TS 61934, “Electrical measurement of partial discharges (PD) under repetitive voltage impulses”

Following the necessary period of training on this issue (aided by the support of teachers with proven experience), Came started the “Microdischarge Project” a few years ago to fully respond to the new requirements imposed by this issue. The goals of this project were to:
– Verify the characteristics of the insulating materials used in the production process;
– Choose the most suitable among them for the project, meaning those free from PD;
– Improve the production process to eliminate such phenomena;
– Identify a testing system able to detect such phenomena and thereby assess the goodness or strength of the insulation according to the following stress categories:
  A – Benign
  B – Moderate
  C – Severe
  D – Extreme

In recent years, this project required the effort of various resources and a significant investment in technical personnel training and dedicated test equipment, making Came a sure reference for its customers, able to:
– Verify the insulation system;
– Design a “reinforced” insulation system for inverter power supplies;
– Assess the degree of strength in the laboratory and issue a test report.

Came R&D is available to its customers to further explore the issue.

Article by:
Fabrizio Bardelli
Came Expert in Research and Development
consulting@came-italy.com
+39 0444 488282

Customer Service, today more than ever, for us has become something of a company philosophy. Understanding the customers’ needs, with a strategic vision for the future, means Came is continuously evolving.

Over the last decade, there have been significant regulatory and structural changes in the electric motor market. The difficulties in finding the right compromise between technical requirements and commercial need have often limited performance: this can involve research into custom cut sections, with the consequent production requirements, the choice of special rolled sections that can be hard to obtain and, last but not least, implementing technical activities that are extremely long and often not in line with market availability.

This is where we come in: specialists in windings, but above all promoters of innovation and technical solutions with the lowest possible economic impact. We purchased two brake test benches for this project: supporting our customers in design and prototyping, providing innovative solutions suitable for production with fully automated machines.

Our goal: to construct solid foundations for the future. In other words, an innovative product that makes use of existing technology.

Here are just some of our services:
– Studying new products
– Bench testing, to provide performance curves
– Analysis of motor behaviour in the case of problems reported by the customer
– Study to convert a custom motor to an IEC version
– Optimization of a motor to meet continuous requests for greater performance in terms of efficiency

In short, a vast range of services so Came can do everything required to find the most cost-effective solution that offers the best technical performance.

We remain at your disposal for any further information you might require. My colleague Mr Bardelli (R&D), our technical staff, led by my colleague Mr Cattazzo, and I will be happy to provide you with any further assistance you need.

A competitive foundry cannot but be an innovative foundry, highly focussed on efficiency and quality: these are the principles in which Came believes and on which it bases development in its die-casting division.

Today, die-castings are used in a very broad range of applications, which by definition impose increasingly stringent structural and mechanical performance specifications on the castings.

The die-casting process, however, has a congenital downside: the more or less diffuse presence of porosity in the workpieces, which has a significant effect on their quality, reducing mechanical strength and pressure-tightness, and preventing heat treatments.
Such defects can be grouped into the following macro-families:

• Shrinkage porosity: Macro-porosity, micro-porosity
• Gas porosity: Gas in solution, Gas entrapment during filling, binder breakdown

 
In order to guarantee the structural quality of the casting, resulting in increased performance, it is essential to check the internal structure of the part using a specific analysis: X-rays.

These are an invisible form of electromagnetic energy featuring short wavelengths and high energy, which are projected toward the part to be analysed. The electromagnetic wave passes through the casting and ends its travel in an electric sensor, from which it is possible to obtain a digital projection of the X-rays. In these detectors, the X-ray energy is converted directly into an electrical signal, which is digitized into an image. Dedicated software then optimizes and analyses the image.

Came offers its customers modern X-ray analysis equipment that can scan products with dimensions up to ø 700 × H 1200 mm. All production items can be checked using a frequency that can be varied according to the technical requirements and product type. The scans obtained are then analysed by dedicated software and saved in a database so that they are available to be used by the stakeholders.

In this article, we will show the main benefits of synchronous brushless DC motors, also known as BLDC (BrushLess Direct Current) motors, powered by inverters and having permanent magnet rotors.

BLDC motors are composed of three main elements:

• the stator, which consists of a pack of stamped T-shaped laminations or sectors (assembled to form the stator); coils are wound on the teeth of these laminations to form the windings, which are connected to each other and to the electronic board
• the rotor, which consists of a cylindrical support with permanent magnets glued to it, or a pack of stamped laminations with ‘pockets’ in them to hold the permanent magnets
• the electronic board that functions as a controller to ensure that the motor works correctly

Since the ’80s, the development of semiconductors has paved the way for the introduction of these motors. A considerable reduction in electronic component sizes in recent years has led to an increase in their growth, and they now replace brushed DC motors in some applications, thanks to some significant benefits:

• replacing the brushes and commutator with a PM rotor and electronic board offers greater and better dynamic performance (meaning the range of available speed and torque, and fine adjustment)
• no maintenance problems due to brush wear
• no sparks in the sliding contacts, which are dangerous in potentially explosive atmospheres
• less noise, both acoustic and electromagnetic
• increased efficiency (because there is no friction and power dissipated in the contacts between the brushes and commutator)
• increased power/weight ratio
• smaller overall motor size for the same performance

They are also widely applied in very high-efficiency AC motors, where the traditional asynchronous motor is unable to achieve the required low-consumption performance.

Given these benefits, it is also worth mentioning at least two significant drawbacks that partly limit the success of these motors:

• the cost of permanent magnets, especially for high-quality magnets such as neodymium
• the cost of the electronics, especially if the quantities do not justify large-scale economy

That said, these motors have undergone an explosive growth in recent years, to the point that they are used in various sectors, and companies are showing an increasing interest in this world. Here below, we provide a non-exhaustive list of the main applications of BLDC motors:

• pumps and ventilation
• household appliances
• gate openers and automation in general
• home automation
• electric bicycles (E-bikes)
• hub motors for scooters
• automotive
• generators and alternators

 
Came has not been caught unprepared for this scenario, having gained solid experience in prototyping, industrialising and manufacturing the wound stator, with a fleet of machines in two manufacturing centres, which we will expand over the coming years with a further three centres to effectively meet the needs of our customers.

Article by:
Fabrizio Bardelli
Came Expert in Research and Development
consulting@came-italy.com
+39 0444 488282

Innovation is a broad concept that includes many features, among which the material is certainly in a position of primary importance. Nowadays, product innovation is a fundamental theme to be competitive and at the forefront of the global market, which is increasingly complex and challenging.

In this context, producing a component manufactured with a material and a process that allows to obtain an economic advantage, a weight saving, excellent mechanical characteristics, a complex design and a hi-tech look, is certainly a considerable competitive advantage.

The die-casting process is a metal processing technique, in which the aluminum alloy in the liquid state (temperatures above 700°C) is injected at high pressure into a metal mold and allows to obtain components in fast, efficient and with a good degree of finish.

The vastness of components and applications obtainable with the process of aluminum die-casting, is mainly due to the fact that the castings are characterized by specific technological qualities: the lightness that compares it to steel offers a ratio 1/3, the electrical conductivity which is second only to copper, the mechanical characteristics enhanced by the possibility of creating specific alloys, resistance to atmospheric agents, resistance to contact with food and also resistance to corrosion.

The aspects above mentioned explain why die-cast aluminum is used in all the main industrial sectors, from the most sophisticated ones such as aerospace and automotive, to the most common ones such as electromechanics, plumbing, lighting and furniture.

CAME S.p.A proposes itself as a partner, which thanks to state-of-the-art and constantly evolving technologies and skills, is able to support its customers with one of the most used production processes in modern industry.

It is now 13 years since the European Parliament published the first Directive (2005/32/EC) on ecodesign and improving energy efficiency, specifically regarding the use of electricity in a more efficient way, for a better awareness of resource usage and reduction of the environmental impact of electrical energy production.

From that date, the world of energy-using products changed, especially that one of electrical machine; slowly at first (there were no sector-specific regulations yet) but then gradually increasing. The concepts of ‘energy efficiency’, ‘green’ or ‘eco-friendly’ products, eco-sustainability or eco-compatibility, lower consumption and low environmental impact, have gradually become common.

So, how the electrical machinery market changed, and what impact the 2005/32/EC Directive and subsequent Directives with implementing Regulations had on the product?
Below we list some important dates that have brought a significant change to the design and production of electrical machine:

• ’20-20-20 Plan (2009/29/EC Directive) – this is a set of measures proposed by the EU for: 20% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, 20% increase in the energy produced from renewable sources, 20% reduction of energy consumption by 2020

• 2009/125/EC Directive – continues from and builds on the previous 2005/32/EC to cover various consumer products such as:
◦ Vacuum cleaners
◦ Dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerators, boilers, air conditioners
◦ Electric motors
◦ Pumps and circulators
◦ Fans
◦ Lights
◦ Computers and televisions

For each product affected, the European Parliament has issued a specific implementing Regulation for ecodesign, with the aim of improving energy efficiency and reducing consumption. Electric motors in particular are the main kind of industrial electric load, where they are used in production processes.

Systems that use electric motors account for approximately 70% of the electric power consumed by industry. In other words, electric motors have the lion’s share in this context. Therefore, one of the key factors at the root of energy efficiency improvement is the introduction of speed variators (inverters) in order to optimise consumption by using electric motors more effectively in applications with variable speeds and loads.
From 2011, the 640/2009 Regulation (and subsequent amendments) has forced electric motor manufacturers to place increasingly high-efficiency motors on the market (IE2 minimum efficiency level), which then increased to IE3 from 1 January 2015 (or IE2 with inverter) for motors from 7.5 kW to 375 kW, and then also covering small motors (0.75 kW) from 1 January 2017.

What are the current and future challenges for electric motor manufacturers and users, and for Came as a manufacturer of wound stators?

In this transitional phase, Came has shown that it is a safe and reliable partner for its customers, both for production and assistance during design of windings for IE2 and IE3 high-efficiency motors. Thanks to a laboratory with the latest generation brake test benches, and thanks to a well-prepared and expert technical staff, Came is able to provide an optimisation and design service for high-efficiency motors.

And that is not all: with the forthcoming implementing Regulation for the IE4 efficiency class (the IEC 60034-30-1 standard has already introduced the required minimum values), two years ago Came already launched a project to integrate the standard product (asynchronous winding) by adding 2 production machines for independent-pole synchronous windings for very high-efficiency BLDC motors (BrushLess Direct Current) to the existing machines, with the intention of purchasing another 3 production machines by the end of 2020.

All this puts Came in a leading position in the market of high- and very high-efficiency motor winding production.

Came has accepted the challenge, and you?

Article by:
Fabrizio Bardelli
Came Expert in Research and Development
consulting@came-italy.com
+39 0444 488282

Came is pleased to announce the arrival of the new machine for the production of windings for synchronous motors with permanent magnets, called Brushless Direct Current.

With this significant investment we want to be close to our customers in the development, prototyping and production of these products currently in demand.

The challenge to always achieve greater energy efficiencies is leading many manufacturers to evaluate the use of synchronous motors with permanent magnets, said Brushless Direct Current.

Our Technical Office and Research and Development are at your disposal for any technical question and product development.

Do not hesitate to contact us for further details or inquiries.
Email: consulting@came-italy.com
Tel: +39 04 444 88282.

Came, as a highly specialised company in windings production, produces a wide range of products that can be used in many different sectors, providing unique and innovative solutions to specific requests.

Moreover, Came continuously extends its production range and provide a fully comprehensive service for all components of electric motors: die-casting components, wound stators, rotors with spindle, housed stators with processing, shields, processed flanges, application of terminal board connections, various threading and assembling operations.

Came products have their application in the following sectors:

– Electric motors
– Gears motors
– Pumps
– Motors for boats, electric and hybrid vehicles
– Compressors
– Submergible pumps
– Gate automation
– Cleaning machines
– Forklifts
– Electric wheels
– Wind power and marine industry
– Floor-washers
– Motorcycles and quadricycles
– Rail sector

Came Research & Development department aims to assist and give support to our customers in the engine design and die casting components.

– Research, Development and Technical Assistance is guaranteed for all components, alongside competence and professional support for development of windings and customer support in the development of energy-efficient products;
– Design work and technical consultation in aluminium die-casting for development of molds and contract-work pressing with molds.

In order to design molds and custom parts, Came is using the essential tools such are softwares CAD system, simulation flow analysis and Fem structural analysis that also help to predict the effects on quality of making existing products lighter and thinner.

Research that includes testing, sampling, and analyzing keeps Came at the forefront of the international die-casting and windings industry.

From December 31, 2014 Came spa took over in effect in the assets and liabilities of the merged company Cemel srl.

With this operation, the company aims to rationalize and optimize all the phases of the business processes, not only production and logistics, but also commercial.

We decided to give life to a reality that, in addition to being leaner in the internal management, also becomes more robust and strategic regarding the relationship with customers and suppliers, thanks to the choice of merging all activities into one organizational structure.

This is certainly a key step for Came spa, which, by creating synergies between the two companies, we are sure that will lead to an increase in our competitiveness within the market, thanks to greater dimensions and the centralization of all related activities.

We consider the merging a growth for us, but it also represents a further desire to meet the needs of our customers and potential ones, who can be now able to relate with a solid company, that has all the necessary tools to compete in a global and increasingly aggressive market .

“25 new hires for Came, a company of San Pietro Mussolino that produces electric motors and has a plant even in Chiampo. Me and mayors Tasso (San Pietro Mussolino – VI) and Macilotti (Chiampo- VI), went to thank the entrepreneur at the head of this beautiful reality for having courage in these difficult times, investing within its territory and giving new jobs.
Mr. Lino Chilese is an entrepreneur who pay homage to the Venetian people. Involved in social issues in sport, respectful of the quality of life of its employees and the foresight of the great captains of industry. ”

These fine words have been posted on the Facebook page of the Councillor for Education, Training and Labour of the Veneto Region, Elena Donazzan, who visited on March 5 the San Pietro Mussolino headquarter of Came spa. The Alderman has answered many of our questions regarding the rules on hiring, on funding possibilities of growth plans, research and development and other issues dear to us.
In a difficult economic crisis of the sectors, it is a great pride for us to participate actively, as far as we can, to an increase in employment.
Another significant recognition that drives us to do better, to tenaciously pursue the objective of investing in our country, even in a historical period in which the factories tend to decentralize both production and work force.

In the pictured from left: Gabriele Tasso mayor of San Pietro Mussolino, Alderman Donazzan, Lino Chilese owner of Came, Cristian Chilese and Matteo Macilotti mayor of Chiampo.

It is not always true that large and sudden revolutions are synonymous with success for companies. Very often started from the foundations of the company, from the individual employee, it’s possible to build a process of growth and gradual improvement, aiming to bring in not only production and sales, but also improvement in the quality of work, with concrete results.

The philosophy of Came spa decided to work in this spirit, by introducing in its plants an innovative process of Lean Production. A new way of relating to both job and worker, analyzing in detail and comparing the performance of the production system, in order to reach a concrete minimize waste until it is canceled.

Starting from the analysis of the entire production process, Came Spa has decided to invest not only in economic terms, but also in resources, in their internal forces, in order to achieve quality standards ever higher.

In a period when the market points to the relocation as a solution to reducing costs, Came spa we decided to go against the trend, focusing on our internal resources, which are those that have made our company the solid reality that it is today.
Made in Italy is for us an essential added value, and it is the reason why it is our firm intention to keep the work force within our territory, a choice that gives us the opportunity to offer a product and service 100% guaranteed.
We have invested about ourselves, about the people we have always trust, involving them in a process of improvement in an active way, listening to their suggestions and complaints.
Password: increasing efficiency, this is the goal that has guided our choice.
Through the facilities studied with the philosophy of Kaizen process, which is based on the renewal in small steps, to be done every day continuously, we can now begin to reap the desired results, after just over a year since the beginning of this path.

The participation and the serenity of our employees is for us matter of commitment, and that’s why we decided to focus on our workforce our resources, to continue to be a great team, efficient and highly professional.