Alcan Singen has received an order to supply Hildesheim-based Bosch GmbH over the next seven years with an aluminium profile that is to be installed as a supporting ring for the stator (fixed and non-moving part) in the new hybrid drives from Volkswagen and Porsche. Alcan Singen puts the total volume to be shipped from April 2010 onwards at 1,800 tonnes.

The component shows that aluminium components will also be of great importance in electrical and hybrid drive systems. Today, the average aluminium content of a car is already 150 kg, which compares with less than 50 kg in 1980. Experts expect aluminium’s share to increase to around 225 kg by 2020.

The extruded profile will be used to manufacture a water-cooled aluminium ring that is shrink fitted onto the stator package. Its function is to transmit the torque of 300 Nm to the housing. During operation, the component is subjected to extremely high stresses in the longitudinal and transverse directions. Thanks to its beneficial metallurgical properties, an extruded profile is particularly well suited to absorbing these stresses. Extremely tight tolerances have to be maintained during machining of the ring segments to ensure there is a perfect fit between the ring and the stator.