The School of Engineering of the University of Minho, particularly the Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability Center (MEtRICs), together with Efacec, is part of a consortium to develop procedures, projects and methods for intelligent manufacturing of a new generation of tanks te used in power transformers. This project titled “Intelligent Design and Manufacturing of Power Transformer Tanks – iCubas5D” represents a disruptive milestone in the mechanical design of power transformer tanks through the evolution of the classic two-dimensional design representation for a new design concept based on innovative virtualisation of information.

Providing uninterrupted, safe and reliable electricity is essential for social and economic development. Portugal has played an active role in this sector through several business entities with the capacity to develop and produce complex systems for electrical distribution. Power transformers allow to optimise the transmission of electrical energy from the source to the consumer, being highly complex products that require the integration of varied multidisciplinary knowledge.

The objective is to combine the capabilities of the most modern 3D representation tools with the automatic calculation and design, in order to minimize the time of development of the structures, making the final solution simpler and optimised from a manufacturing point of view, providing response to the increasing concerns in QES (Quality, Environment and Safety).

The project is expected to reach a solution that improves the structural efficiency and, simultaneously, reduce the structural weight. It will also be sought to reduce the noise transmitted to the outside caused by the operation of the transformer, as it is an emerging concern for transformers installed in close proximity to population clusters.

ICubas5D, operating code POCI-01-0247-FEDER-017584, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI) under the Portugal 2020 program.

Links: http://www.efacec.pt/tecnologia-e-inovacao/ and http://icubas5d.efacec.pt