From innovation to fabrication... and back again
Electrical machines for a circular economy
Speakers and Abstracts
Session 1: Setting the scene and state of the art – an industrial perspective
Speaker: James Widmer, AEM
Title and Abstract tbc
Speaker: Joe Burchill, CGEN Engineering Ltd
Title: Modular Generator Technology for Renewable Energy Applications
Abstract: This presentation will provide an overview of CGEN Engineering’s modular generator technology and the company’s progress to date across wave, tidal and wind energy applications. The talk will cover the core principles behind the technology, including modularity, fault tolerance, maintainability and scalable manufacturing, alongside lessons learned from demonstrator development and offshore operation. It will also discuss current activities around wind turbine retrofit and life extension, and how the technology is being positioned for future deployment within the wider renewable energy sector.
Speaker Florian Kneidl
Title: Prototype Smarter: From Manual Assembly to Scalable Automaton
Abstract: This talk offers a practical industrial perspective on how early prototype decisions can shape the path toward scalable production. It will explore how manufacturing constraints, process control, and automation thinking can be considered earlier in the development journey - helping bridge the gap between a working concept and repeatable industrial manufacture.
Speaker: Keyne Walker
Title : Windfall - the recovery and remanufacturing of neodymium magnets from UK wind turbines
Abstract: Wind turbines in the UK will represent a strategically significant stock of neodymium magnets as deployment of larger turbines continues to grow. These magnets are critical for many elements of UK manufacturing, and the report assesses demand from UK sectors including HVAC, EVs, shipping and aerospace. Building on 2024 NEPC work on demand side measures for supply chain sustainability and resilience, this study shows the value of incorporating material forecasting into planning processes. The report includes a new assessment of how much neodymium will be used, when it will be decommissioned, options for a second life (including presenting a novel remanufacturing process), and what steps need to be taken now and in the meantime by government and industry to enable them to be recovered – including design, data collection, and developing quality assurance standards. The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Keyne Walker presents their hot-off-the-press research report, authored by Dr Stuart Bradley and Dr Russ Hall of Warwick Manufacturing Group and published by the National Engineering Policy Centre.
Session 2: Disassembly, Life cycle assessment and recycling
Speaker: Oliver Heidrich, Newcastle University
Title: Life Cycle Assessment and Material Flows - An Attempt to Quantify the Environmental Impacts of Electrical Machines
Abstract: This talk explores how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and material flow analysis can be used to quantify the environmental impacts of electrical machines, emphasising the importance of considering the decision-making processes in the design and application of electrical machines. While electrical machines are often associated with efficiency gains and perhaps decarbonisation potentials, their full environmental footprint depends on complex interactions across the entire lifecycle—from raw material extraction to manufacturing, use, and end-of-life management. The presentation shows first why we should think about the intended and unintended consequences of our design criteria and some of the Policies that have driven environmental considerations.
It describes Material Flow Accounting (MFA) and LCA and their differences in decision-making.
LCA is introduced as a structured framework to evaluate these impacts systematically by defining scope, system boundaries, and functional units. A key focus is placed on Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) modelling, which integrates data on material inputs, energy use, efficiencies, and associated emissions. The importance of selecting appropriate evaluation models and ensuring consistent integration across lifecycle stages, as small modelling decisions can lead to significant variations in results. Tools and processes that support LCA—such as databases, simulation software, and standardised methodologies—are also briefly discussed. The talk will address some of the challenges of applying LCA in decision-making in general and for electrical machines specifically. These include data availability, variability in use-phase performance, rapidly evolving technologies, and difficulties in capturing recycling and circularity benefits. Additionally, there is a risk of overlooking trade-offs, where improvements in operational efficiency may increase upstream impacts due to more complex materials or manufacturing processes. Comprehensive, transparent, and carefully scoped LCA studies are essential to guide sustainable design and policy decisions for electrical machines, ensuring that environmental benefits are real rather than assumed.
Speaker: Lucia Corsini, University of Oxford
Title: A systems approach to unlocking the circular economy in the Electrical and Electronics sector
Abstract: Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK and the world, however, less than 35% of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is recovered in the UK. Developing a CE for EEE is expected to result in widespread economic, environmental and societal benefits for the UK.
However, our ability to effectively reuse, repair, remanufacture and recycle electrical and electronic equipment is locked in by decisions made at the design and manufacturing stage. So, we ask: how can we design more circular products, services and systems? How can we improve evidence on circular economy to inform better decision-making?
In this presentation, Corsini will introduce and highlight key findings from the Circular Electrical and Electronics Project (CEEP). Forming part of a systems approach, this research project develops design and engineering solutions to:
Model flows of waste electrical and electronic equipment and related carbon emissions
Identify waste and carbon reduction scenarios and strategies
Develop circular product design and business model solutions that leverage emerging technologies and behavioural insights
Help industry and policy makers to embed novel circular economy solutions
Raise awareness and improve consumer access to circular economy solutions
Speaker: Xuebei Zhang & Fengyu Zhang, Nottingham University
Title: Carbon Emission Evaluation and Comparison of Electrical Machines for Sustainable Design
Abstract: Electrical machines are central to electrified transport, industrial systems, and future low-carbon technologies. While machine research has traditionally focused on improving electromagnetic, thermal, and mechanical performance, the carbon impact associated with machine materials, manufacture and operation also requires greater attention. This presentation will introduce a carbon emission evaluation and comparison of four commercial electrical machines with similar power ratings, including a synchronous machine, an induction machine and two permanent magnet machines. The study considers both material-related embedded carbon and operational emissions, enabling the total carbon impact of different machine types to be assessed from a broader life-cycle perspective. The comparison highlights how material selection, machine topology and operating performance can influence overall carbon emissions, and demonstrates the importance of considering carbon impact alongside conventional design metrics.
Speaker: Ricky Fox, Birmingham University
Title: State Augmented Graphs for Circular Economy Triage
Abstract: Circular economy (CE) triage is the assessment of products to determine which sustainable pathway they can follow once they reach the end of their usefulness. Effective CE triage requires adaptive decisions that balance retained value against the costs and constraints of processing and labour. This talk presents a novel decision-making framework over a state-augmented Disassembly Sequencing Planning (DSP) graph. By encoding the disassembly history into the state, our framework enforces the Markov property, enabling optimal, recursive evaluation by ensuring each decision only depends on the previous state. The triage decision involves choices between continuing disassembly or committing to a CE option. The model integrates condition-aware utility based on diagnostic health scores and complex operational constraints.
Session 3: Trends in electrical machine design and manufacture
Speaker: Anna Ermakova, Bristol University
Title: High-Performance Electrical Machine Windings Enabled by Metal Additive Manufacturing
Abstract:
This talk will showcase how metal additive manufacturing can enable new approaches to electrical machine winding design and fabrication. By moving beyond conventional conductor forms, AM opens the possibility of optimised conductor geometries, integrated cooling features and tailored insulation strategies that are difficult to achieve using traditional manufacturing routes.
The work addresses three key areas needed to move AM windings towards practical application: systematic digital design methods, reliable electrical property characterisation of printed copper, and robust insulation approaches for complex as-built surfaces. These developments demonstrate how AM can act as a future fabrication route for more efficient, power-dense and reliable electrical machines.
Speaker: Umair Paracha, University of Warwick
Title: Transitioning from wet processes for electrical machine insulation: manufacturing, digitalisation and impact on circularity considerations
Abstract:
The aim is to use the talk to highlight both the manufacturing opportunities and the research gaps that must be addressed before wet-process-free insulation systems can be adopted in high-performance electrical machines.
This presentation will discuss the current reliance on wet processing for the development of electrical machines. Conventional impregnation and encapsulation processes, such as VPI and trickle impregnation, can improve thermal, mechanical and electrical performance, but they also introduce manufacturing complexity, long processing times, material waste, remanufacturing challenges and end-of-life limitations, all of which contribute to the embodied energy and environmental impact of electrical machines.
The talk reflects on alternative “dry” or thermoplastic-based insulation systems as well as implementation of automation and digitalisation technologies which could enable reduction of overall process energy, shortening of production cycles and improve manufacturing efficiency, whilst also supporting repair, disassembly, end-of-life recovery, reduced process waste and better alignment with circular economy principles.
Speaker: Yongjing Wang, Birmingham University
Title: Scalable & Intelligent Disassembly of Electrical Machines
Abstract: Disassembly is a key step in remanufacturing and recycling, both of which are critical components in a circular economy. In many ways, disassembly is challenging to robotise due to variability in the condition of the returned products and the required dexterity in robotic manipulations. This talk introduces recent research developments in the area of robotic disassembly and remanufacturing automation by the ATARI team at the University of Birmingham, and highlight key opportunities and technical gaps in the disassembly of electrical machines.
Speaker: Tianjie Zou
Title: Hairpin winding development and manufacturing for sustainable high performance traction motors
Abstract: tbc
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Session 4: Speculative Research, future directions and co-ordinating our efforts
Speaker: Libing Cao, Newcastle University
Title: Sustainable Generator Design for Offshore Wave Energy Converters: A Case Study
Abstract: This talk presents a case study on the design of a very large, low-speed direct-drive generator for offshore wave energy conversion. Various generator designs are globally and multiphysically optimised and compared using alternative magnet materials, conductor options and sustainable topologies. The assessment considers generator performance, cost of energy, generator size, embodied carbon emissions, material sustainability and recyclability. The study finds that designs with low cost of energy and low emissions are not necessarily those built from low-criticality and easy-to-recycle materials. This highlights the need to evaluate performance, cost, carbon impact, supply criticality and circularity together when designing sustainable electrical machines.
Speaker: Xiao Chen, Sheffield University
Title: Manufacturing Efforts on Core Losses of Cobalt-iron Alloys in Electrical Machines
Abstract: Manufacturing and assembly processes can substantially increase losses in the laminated stator and rotor cores of electrical machines. In practice, this degradation is often absorbed into an empirical build factor, rather than attributed to individual processes through physics-based quantification. This presentation examines the contributions of two key mechanisms in high performance permanent magnet synchronous machines with Cobalt-iron alloys, including the edge damage effect due to laser cut and the mechanical stress effect due to the shrink-fit process.
Speaker: Hossein Shirzad
Title: Sustainable Magnet Materials and Their Impact on Electrical Machine Design
Abstract: The transition toward sustainable magnet materials is reshaping the design space of modern electrical machines. This talk explores how reduced-rare-earth and rare-earth-free magnets influence key electromagnetic and thermal design decisions, including air-gap flux density, torque density, demagnetization margin, rotor topology, operating temperature, and machine sizing. By linking magnet properties directly to machine-level performance, the talk highlights how material sustainability can drive new design compromises, alternative topologies, and more resilient motor technologies for future electrified systems.