TAPPING OPPORTUNITIES IN EMERGING SECTORS
The Indian machine tool industry has recognized the electric vehicle, defence, and aerospace sectors as highly promising domains for expansion and progress. These sectors present significant prospects for the industry to actively contribute to their technological advancements and cater to their evolving needs. Let’s explore how the industry titans are gearing up to grab the opportunities the sectors offer…
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| Manoj K Sundaram Head – Business development Carl Zeiss India |
Automation is the need of the hour
The Electric Vehicle industry is rapidly shifting towards lightweighting and design conversions to aluminum pace. Advancements such as sensor-embedded vehicles and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) are driving the development of cutting-edge tools and reshaping the industry to embrace technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and automation.
The industry is now looking for localization of its products and expansion of its capacity to cater to the needs that are to emerge in the next decade. This necessitates significant greenfield investments, which are already being observed in the industry.
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| C Renganathan Managing Director Chennai Metco Pvt Ltd |
-Industry together in pursuit of growth
Thanks to the favorable policies of the Government, we are now witnessing a surge in the activities in the Aerospace, Defence, and Electric Vehicle sectors. The Indian Machine Tool industry has upgraded its precision capability to meet the high demands of the Aerospace sector. The good news is that the gap between Indian capabilities and that of developed countries is narrowing at a fast pace. The Indian Machine Tool sector is now in an advantageous position and is gearing up to meet the rising demands not only of the emerging local market but also of the international market with our cost-effective, high-performing machine tools.
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Ramakrishna Edara FIBRO India Precision |
Holistic approach for sustained development
The Central Government has taken various measures to promote self-reliance in India (Atmanirbhar Bharat), boost domestic manufacturing (Making in India), and aim to increase the Indian economy from US$3 trillion to US$5 trillion by 2025. The Government is also promoting import substitution to protect local businesses and address trade imbalances.
In the Automotive sector, the emergence of EVs has created new opportunities for the Sheet Metal industry, while there is also increasing demand from Agriculture, Consumer Goods, and General Engineering sectors, which is driving growth in the Machine Tool industry.
Additionally, sectors like Electronics, Semiconductors, Defence, Aerospace, and Railways are contributing to the overall growth of the Manufacturing industry. These developments not only attract significant investments but also foster a supportive environment for startups.
Furthermore, the drafting of a new education policy emphasizes upgrading syllabi and modernizing equipment to address skill gaps. This holistic approach aims to uplift the Manufacturing sector and ensure its sustained development.
Developing products to cater to the needs
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| Sureshkumar V Regional Head – Sales Jyoti CNC Automation Ltd |
The Defence and Aerospace sectors require high-precision machines with advanced technology, which were previously being fulfilled primarily by foreign manufacturers. However, Jyoti CNC has consistently led the way in providing some of the finest products and solutions for the A&D sector for over a decade. With the acquisition of HURON GRAFFENSTADEN S.A.S in France, JYOTI CNC now has access to cutting-edge European machine tool building technology. As a result, Jyoti CNC is now uniquely positioned among all Indian MTBs (Machine Tool Builders) to meet the complete requirements of the A&D sector, at par with any foreign supplier. Additionally, Jyoti’s extensive existing product range is well-suited to cater to the needs of EV manufacturers and other emerging sectors.
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Indraneel Bhattacharya |
Investing in precision machining technologies
The Indian Machine Tool industry has been witnessing key developments to cater to Electric Vehicle, Defence, and Aerospace sectors. The industry has been adapting to manufacture specialized components required for EVs, including precision machining of electric motor components such as stators, rotors, under chassis parts like brakes, suspension, and steering.
The Defence industry requires advanced manufacturing technologies to meet its stringent requirements. Since there is strong emphasis on indigenous manufacturing in the Defence sector, Indian machine tool manufacturers are developing capabilities to produce defence-specific components and equipment domestically. This reduces the dependence on imports and strengthens the country’s defence manufacturing ecosystem.
The Machine Tool industry in India is investing in precision machining technologies to meet the demanding requirements of aerospace components. This includes high-precision CNC machining centers, multi-axis machining, and advanced tooling systems. These technologies enable the production of complex aerospace parts with tight tolerance and high accuracy.
Industry making suitable developments
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AV Srinivasan |
The Indian Machine Tool industry is in the process of moving towards manufacturing EV parts and making developments accordingly to meet these requirements. Although the number of parts in 2-wheeler or 4-wheeler vehicles has come down drastically, a few moving parts in transmission and steering, etc., are still the same. The Indian Machine Tool industry has already incorporated Industry 4.0 and is offering high-end solutions for Defence and Aerospace sectors. In addition, the industry is actively investing in research and development to further enhance its capabilities and meet the evolving demands.
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Yogasundaram M |
Addressing challenges with apt solutions
The Indian Machine Tool industry has been gearing up to address various challenges coming in from new industry sectors like Electric Vehicle, Aerospace, and Defence. The current focus has been to augment machine tool efficiency, precision, and automation.
Typically, these sectors have exposed the Machine Tool industry to component materials like super alloys, aluminum alloys, and composites. These new materials address the lightweighting requirements. The Indian industry has been developing machine tools that can handle these new materials while ensuring high precision as well as reducing energy consumption. MCV Series from AMS addresses this requirement by having structural components made of Cast Iron and designed to perform under demanding working conditions and component complexities.
Complex components required in Electric Vehicle, Aerospace, and Defence sectors also require intricate geometries. This requires machine tools to have multiple axes to machine such components. 4+1 Axes machines like Ace Designers AMT-i 1500S have a B-axis capability with a swivel of +/- 120 degrees with a minimum indexing increment of 0.00010. They are developed to enable simultaneous machining from multiple angles, reducing set-up times and improving accuracy.
Other needs like high-speed machining, integration of machine tools with automation and robotics, incorporating advanced control systems such as adaptive control and machine learnings, application of Industry 4.0 concepts or integration of additive manufacturing with subtractive manufacturing like AMS-make Wire Arc Hyb-AM 850V machine, are some of the other needs which are being addressed by the Indian Machine Tool industry.
Efforts toward a green future
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T Venkatesan |
A noteworthy advancement in the Indian Machine Tool industry is the dedication to enhancing the quality of the machining process and strengthening machine structures. In sectors such as Electric Vehicle, Defence, and Aerospace, it is essential to achieve exceptional surface finish, dimensional accuracy, and geometric precision in machining operations. Machine tool manufacturers have been concentrating on reducing vibrations, improving damping capabilities, and augmenting the rigidity of machine structures to minimize any deviations during machining. As a result of these developments, high-quality components for electric vehicles, defence equipment, and aerospace applications can be produced more efficiently. Furthermore, with the implementation of energy-efficient technologies, the optimization of production processes, and the incorporation of sustainable materials, we aim to minimize greenhouse gas emissions throughout the machine’s lifecycle. Our efforts align with global initiatives toward a greener and more sustainable future.
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POONAM PEDNEKAR
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