The NeWwire project delivers a new series‑flexible winding process that enables the economical, automated production of high‑performance electric machines. The technical core of the work is a redesigned insulation system that replaces the conventional phase separator with two separate rotor‑bar insulation layers, thereby eliminating a manufacturing step. The winding uses copper wire of diameter 0.789 mm, arranged in 126 conductors per slot. Each conductor is coated with a single lacquer layer (MagneTemp CA‑200, 0.0395 mm). The insulation stack consists of a 0.22 mm deck shroud, a 0.13 mm slot‑insulation layer of Nomex410, a 0.11 mm rotor‑bar insulation made from a three‑layer NKN laminate (Kapton polyimide plus Nomex paper), and a 0.18 mm winding‑head insulation of Nomex410. The electrical filling factor of the slot is 48.4 %, while the mechanical filling factor, which includes all layers, is 73.6 %. These values allow the stator windings to sustain current densities J₁ < 18 A mm⁻² and the squirrel‑cage rotor to handle J₂ < 12 A mm⁻² in overload operation. The design also incorporates a liquid‑cooled primary loop with a water‑based mixture and a heat‑exchanger, as required by IEC 60034‑6 for traction drives. Because the rotor has a large thermal mass, active rotor cooling is omitted, simplifying the cooling jacket that surrounds the stator‑core and the rotor‑bar assembly. Thermal simulations and measurements on a reference machine confirm that the temperature rise remains within limits for the intended short‑time operation, with the temperature‑time curves for two operating points showing acceptable gradients.

The project’s scientific contribution extends beyond the insulation layout. A comprehensive thermal model was developed and validated against experimental data, enabling iterative redesign of the geometry and insulation scheme. The CAD/CAM interface for the winding tool was verified, and the tool geometry was adapted from the ProLemo system to the NeWwire geometry, reducing the number of winding layers from six to three and simplifying the roll‑system. The new winding tool and roll‑system geometry were integrated into the Aumann GmbH machine NWSS, and the modified machine was tested to confirm that the new winding process meets the performance specifications. The design also includes a novel winding scheme that concentrates the windings in a limited space, allowing the machine to fit within the tight dimensional constraints of an electric vehicle traction drive.

Collaboration among the partners was essential to achieve these results. Volkswagen, represented by Dr. Stefan Grützner and Thomas Porabka, provided the application requirements and testing facilities. Aumann GmbH, with Dr. Ing. Florian Sell‑Le Blanc, Lando Weiße, and Björn Klusmann, supplied the winding machinery and performed the machine modifications. Essex Furukawa contributed expertise in insulation materials through Nicolas Kehl and Jane Jovanoski. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – Maximilian Halwas, Janna Hofmann, and Prof. Jürgen Fleischer – supplied the thermal‑modeling and simulation capabilities. The University of Kassel, represented by Christian Riehm, Dr. Ing. Christian Spieker, Prof. Michael Fister, Marcel Schröer, Dr. Mohamed Ayeb, and Prof. Ludwig Brabetz, provided experimental validation and measurement support. The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under grant number 02P16A00X and ran until May 2021, when the final report was issued. The consortium’s integrated approach—combining design, manufacturing, simulation, and testing—has produced a robust, scalable winding process that meets the stringent performance and reliability demands of modern electric vehicle drives.