The polymer insulators that protect high-voltage electrical equipment are currently made using moulds and casting, a process that becomes expensive for the small production runs typical of the power industry. This project will develop 3D printing methods—specifically fused deposition modelling and direct writing—to manufacture these insulating components more cheaply and flexibly. The central challenge is that 3D-printed parts have weak interfaces between layers, where tiny defects can trigger electrical breakdown. The researchers will test epoxy- and silicone-based polymers, with and without nanofillers such as 2D materials, to understand how the printing process, material structure, and final electrical properties relate to one another. If successful, the work could lower the cost and speed up the prototyping of new components for electricity transmission networks, which must expand significantly for the green energy transition. This is applied materials science with a clear industrial target: making the grid’s polymer parts cheaper to manufacture in the volumes the power sector actually needs.
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The move to a green economy requires a significant expansion of the existing electricity transmission networks. There is thus an increased demand for installing new transmission and distribution assets including cables, transformers and switchgear etc. The polymer components in such equipment are typically produced by moulding and casting techniques, which are cheap when produced at very large quantities. For the power industry, however, some of the critical products are produced in comparatively smaller volumes, which result in a much higher manufacturing cost per unit especially for a new product to market. 3D Printing, one of the most effective additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, is already a proven method used in high performance industries such as formula one and aerospace and ideal for making such parts. Furthermore, 3D printing allows rapid prototyping and new approaches to be applied in fundamental research. However, there is little ageing data or knowledge on long-term operational experience using components created through this method. In this project you will use fused deposition modelling (FDM) and direct writing to additively produce a new generation of polymeric insulators for high voltage applications. You will be using both epoxy- and silicone-based polymers with and without nanofillers, including 2D materials. You will be developing the processing-structure-property relationships with a particular focus on how the interface between the consecutively printed layers determines the electrical insulation properties. This interface is a concern since point defects are known to act as initiation sites for electrical breakdown. Technical aspects that needs exploration in this project include additive manufacturing, nanomaterial and their composites, rheology, dynamic thermal analysis, electron microscopy and high voltage testing and qualification.
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