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VCoil

Collaborative Project · LuFo VII-1

Research and development of a cost-effective and flexible process for the metal forming of V-shaped individual coils for high-efficiency electric drives in the eAircraft sector.

Motivation & Problem Statement

Electric propulsion systems are a key element in achieving climate-neutral aviation. Their gravimetric power density is crucial for aviation applications: The better the electromagnetic utilization, the smaller, lighter, and more resource-efficient the machine can be. Today’s stator windings made of round or profiled wire achieve slot fill factors of 60–70% and power densities of 3.5–5 kW/kg. To significantly exceed this level, VCoil is investigating the potential of V-shaped formed coils produced using metal forming or additive manufacturing, which can achieve slot fill factors of up to 90% in just a few process steps.

Project Objectives

up to 90%

Slot fill factor achieved with V-shaped forming coils (instead of 60–70%)

7–8 kW/kg

Target continuous power density of the direct drive

The overarching goal of the consortium is to develop V-shaped form coils—produced using metal forming or additive manufacturing—for electric drives and generators used in (hybrid) electric aircraft, as well as to conduct experimental validation of these coils. The focus is on:

  • Increased power density through a significantly higher slot fill factor
  • Greater resource efficiency through reduced material consumption and the use of sustainably recycled conductor materials (Al / Cu)
  • Direct conductor cooling to further increase the machine’s efficiency
  • Validation of power density and service life using motorettes and a laboratory prototype.

Contents of the Collaborative Project

As part of this collaboration, the material selection, forming process, coil insulation, cooling, and the electric motor are being developed jointly and tested on motorettes and a laboratory prototype. The process chain ranges from CNC bending of the coil blanks through multi-stage forming and coating to the assembly of an eAircraft demonstrator.

Breuckmann Subproject

Breuckmann is responsible for the research and development of the entire metal-forming manufacturing process for the V-shaped individual coils—from material selection through to the Production tooling and the associated From design, calculation, and engineering software all the way to the fully insulated coil. The goal is an efficient, robust, and reproducible process that can be scaled up to high production volumes under mass-production conditions. Specifically, the subproject includes:

  • Requirements and Material Selection: Defining the electrical, mechanical, and geometric requirements for conductor materials and selecting suitable aluminum and copper alloys—both conventionally produced and sustainably recycled.
  • CNC bending of coil blanks: Development of the bending process with regard to cycle time, scrap rate, quality of the bent corners, minimization of burr formation, and unit costs.
  • Mass-Production Tooling & Forming Technology: Development of tooling technology for forming V-coils in high volumes—reproducible, robust, with minimal cycle time and low tooling costs, ideally as a (quasi-)continuous process.
  • Direct conductor cooling: Contributing to the design of direct cooling structures and verifying their formability in V-coils.
  • Electric Motor Requirements Specification: Development of requirements for the electric direct drive in coordination with the project partners.
  • Manufacture of the V-coils: production of V-shaped coils with various geometries and topologies using metal forming techniques, to serve as the basis for the motor prototypes and the laboratory prototype.

Project Partners

Breuckmann GmbH & Co. KG

Forming Process & Tooling Technology, Conductor Insulation, Prototypes

Project Coordinator

BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg

Hybrid Manufacturing – Materials Science, Forming and Additive Manufacturing Processes

Dresden University of Applied Sciences (HTW Dresden)

Design and Experimental Analysis of Electrical Machines, Prototypes/Laboratory Models, CFD Simulation

Additive Drives, LLC

Design and Configuration of Electrical Machines, Additive Manufacturing

Associated partners: APUS Zero Emission GmbH (requirements for the eAircraft direct drive) and a partner specializing in sustainably recycled aluminum.

Key Figures

Grant Reference Number: 20M2434A

Program: LuFo VII-1

Duration: 01/2026 – 12/2028

Project Management Agency: PT-LF at DLR

Funding Notice

The VCoil project (grant number 20M2434A) is funded as part of the LuFo VII-1 aviation research program and is managed by the Aviation Research Project Management Office at DLR (PT-LF). For more information on the program: www.luftfahrtforschungsprogramm.de

Illustrations

Breuckmann GmbH & Co. KG · Dieselstraße 26–28 · 42579 Heiligenhaus

Funded under LuFo VII-1 · FKZ 20M2434A