Author Archives: @Manuela@
EIB lends €40 million to the PUNCH Group to develop hydrogen technologies
The EU bank and the PUNCH Group join forces to promote the decarbonisation of passenger, commercial and industrial vehicles through the development of hydrogen and electric propulsion technologies and related energy storage systems. The investments will be made mainly at the company’s plants in Turin (Italy) and, to a lesser extent, in Strasbourg (France). The EIB loan is supported by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) — the main pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe.
Renault Group and PUNCH Torino sign a strategic partnership on low-emission diesel engines
Both companies will join forces for the development of the Euro VI and Euro 7 variants of Renault 4-cylinder diesel engines for light commercial vehicles, for production starting in 2025.
PUNCH Torino confirms its position at the forefront of inclusion policies
Thanks to the agreement just signed, seven people from protected categories will start to work in PUNCH Torino.
John F Hunt Power acquires World’s first Hydrogen-Flybrid Generator
Following its launch last week, the first 105kVA Tecnogen/PUNCH Hydrogen-Flywheel Generator has been purchased by John F Hunt Power.
PUNCH and Tecnogen present World Premiere at BAUMA
PUNCH Group and Tecnogen present their hydrogen generator with integrated Formula One derived flywheel system.
PUNCH Group cooperates with important players in the marine world
For the third year in a row, PUNCH Group will take part in the Genoa Boat Show. This time the company will bring on stage some examples of its collaborations related to the marine propulsion world. In fact, PUNCH Group has always worked with its clients and partners to find the right offerings for their needs through customized solutions ranging from traditional fuel engines to hydrogen powertrains and dedicated electronic control systems. Massimo Giraud, Key Account Manager Marine Engines, says: “We are proud to present at our stand the BUKH V8P engineered by PUNCH for the renowned Danish company; thanks to the work spent on developing this remarkable performance Diesel engine, PUNCH has entered the marine propulsion world”. Since 2020, PUNCH Torino has expanded its business in the powertrain sector by working with General Motors’ GM Marine division to add product and software development offerings. An example of the GM collaboration which will be on display is the DMEFI Controllers offering, a diesel control unit developed by GM and available for PUNCH marine customers with 6.6L Duramax engines. PUNCH Hydrocells will bring to the display booth the Hydrogen Engine concept, based on the GM V-8 6.6L. This package, managed by a proprietary Controller, provides a solution for zero-emission carbon footprint that is lightweight and offers a quick refilling time. Emanuele Patti, Sales & Marketing Director states: “The Genoa Boat show is regularly on our agenda: it’s a unique opportunity for PUNCH to showcase our capabilities in providing customized solutions for our clients, demonstrated through the products exhibited at the booth”. Come and visit us at the Genoa Boat Show 2022, Power Village area - booth YB02. On the booth: BUKH V8P, a Marine V8 6.6L Common Rail Diesel Engine with a Power Range from 300HP to 530HP. PUNCH Hydrocells H2 V8 6.6l, a Port Fuel Injection engine 100% Hydrogen with a Power up to 335HP. GM Marine, a division of General Motors - https://poweredsolutions.gm.com/about-us/marine/ - has been working for more than 60 years supplying some of the most respected names in the marine industry. All GM engines undergo a painstaking development process according to the latest automotive technologies, ensuring that they meet the most stringent requirements of customers worldwide. LYNX, an electric scooter designed and built in Italy. LYNX is the first of a range of micro-mobility products made by TO.TEM (Torino Technologies & Electric Mobility). Stable and agile, and furthermore equipped with an anti-collision alert, LYNX is the perfect “land-tender” whose aim is to move people for an easier life.
The DREEM European kickscooter passes the test with top scores
The Turin pilot project of the DREEM electric scooter, financed by the Horizon 2020 program (101007085) and involving three important companies in the area, PUNCH Torino Spa - coordinator of the project itself - which has the role of leading the development and design of innovative propulsion systems and advanced technologies for the PUNCH Group, TO.TEM S.r.l, a start-up created by PUNCH Torino that develops micro mobility systems, and 5T Srl, an in-house providing company for the municipality City of Turin, Piedmont Region and Metropolitan City of Turin that deals with smart mobility services. The pilot on the territory started in April and ended in July, involving 35 PUNCH Torino employees and 11 5T employees, most of them in the 35-44 age group. During the pilot, the testers were able to use the electric scooter and inflatable helmets developed within the project for a period of 7 days each. During the test days, the testers filled out a daily report on their usage experiences and were interviewed upon return of the scooter ride. An interesting preliminary finding emerged from the results collected: 15 percent of the participants routinely use or have used a scooter (owned or shared) as a means of commuting in the past. But 28 percent of the total said they had never tried one. The feedback collected was mostly positive, especially concerning safety aspects: most testers highlighted the stability of the vehicle and its perceived safety, thanks to the 3 largeshock-absorbing wheels. Rides were described as pleasant, even on uneven surfaces. The driving position with parallel feet – thanks to a larger deck - and the ability to carry the vehicle like a trolley were highly appreciated, as was the "Navigator" function of the app associated with the scooter while in use. A few critical aspects also emerged, which will be useful for DREEM partners to calibrate the project, such as: the size and weight of the scooter in its "folded" mode, which does not facilitate short walking trips in case oftwo-way roads. Federico Galliano, Public Affairs Manager of PUNCH Torino Spa and coordinator of the DREEM project says, "DREEM fits into our vision of sustainable mobility that is accessible to all European citizens, because it realizes a mobility tool that is accessible to all and sustainable, both from an energy and safety point of view." Alessandra Chianale, Growth & Sales Manager of TO.TEM said, "Participating in the DREEM project is a constructive and formative experience for TO.TEM. Using the scooters we produce for testing in Turin provided an organic collection of data, making the analysis highly meaningful. The feedback collected is a stimulus to improve the product and making it as aligned as possible with users' expectations." For Fabrizio Arneodo, Chief Information and Technology Officer of 5T: "For us, it was very interesting to be involved in a project of this kind because user needs have always been the starting point of our work. Experiments that put us directly in touch with their experiences allow us to build more accessible and efficient mobility solutions. In particular, the DREEM project has allowed us to carefully evaluate the sustainability and safety aspects of mobility." PUNCH TORINO PUNCH Torino S.P.A. is a company specialized in the design and development of innovative propulsion systems and advanced technologies such as Additive Manufacturing. Founded in 2005 by GM under the name General Motors Powertrain Europe, in February 2020 it became part of the PUNCH Group, a leading supplier for the development, integration and production of transmissions and powertrains. In May 2021, PUNCH Torino established the new company PUNCH Hydrocells S.r.L, dedicated to the development of hydrogen-powered solutions. In January 2022, the spin-off of PUNCH Torino's Software and Controls division created the new company PUNCH Softronix. PUNCH's ecosystem also includes two startups: AITEM, which focuses on artificial intelligence research, and To.Tem, which focuses on micro-mobility by designing and engineering electric scooters. PUNCH's 700 employees in Turin are enthusiastically committed to innovative and sustainable engineering. 5T 5T Srl is an in-house company with total public participation that works on behalf of the City of Turin, Piedmont Region and the Metropolitan City of Turin. In its 30 years of operation, it has designed, built, and currently manages mobility systems and services in Turin and Piedmont. In recent years, it has developed a strong expertise in the area of Mobility as a Service and Smart Roads and is coordinating, on behalf of its partners, strategic programs to enable the MaaS ecosystem in Turin and Piedmont and launch systems and services for autonomous driving in urban areas. TO.TEM The DREEM electric scooter stems from TO.TEM's current LYNX and is designed to make urban travel safer: the vehicle's stability is ensured by three large wheels and a wider platform. It also features rear turn signals to be clearly visible by other road users and a Collision Alert system integrated with a rear camera that connects to one's smartphone. The inflatable helmet, made as part of the project, is also up to three times more protective than a traditional helmet. Finally, the vehicle user friendly: it is foldable and can be carried like a trolley thanks to a convenient handle, while the helmet can be easily deflated reducing it to pocket size.
PUNCH Torino and ROBOZE sign an agreement
Bari, September 6th, 2022. Thanks to the freshly signed partnership PUNCH Torino and ROBOZE, both at the forefront of the Additive Manufacturing sector, will work in partnership to accelerate the industrialization of 3D printing in the automotive and marine sectors. According to Research and Markets, a market research and analysis firm, the size of the global additive manufacturing market is estimated to reach $76.16 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 20.8 percent. Sectors that will drive this growth include automotive and marine, where the adoption of the additive method will have critical implications on every stage of the value chain. The goal of the two partners will be, indeed, to increase the adoption of additive technology and improve the printing process with FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) technology, making it increasingly competitive and sustainable when compared to conventional technologies. This will enable the development of even more competitive and high-performance products in the near future, with a substantial impact on lead times. Roboze will deploy the Automate technology, specifically developed for the Production systems of the company. The Production Series features ARGO 500, an additive manufacturing solution that shifts the focus of additive manufacturing from mere prototyping to production of end use parts, maintaining the same manufacturing standards of traditional methods. It is the most precise and repeatable system on the market and has allowed hundreds of companies to digitize their warehouses while scaling their production. The replacement of metals with super polymers such as PEEK, Carbon PEEK, Ultem and Carbon PA offers excellent mechanical strength-to-weight ratio, as well as chemical and thermal properties for a wide range of industrial applications. PUNCH Torino has gained strong skills within the additive manufacturing world during the years, starting in 2015 with the development of automotive technological capabilities, exploiting its enormous advantages in product design and industrialization. This know-how will be crucial for the development of new materials and technologies with a focus on our target market. This partnership offers economic, territorial, and environmental benefits to the companies involved, but not only to themselves. From the economic point of view, the implementation of this technology will overall improve the product, both in terms of performance and design, reducing development/production’s costs and time, with the possibility of digitizing warehouses and printing components only when needed. From the territorial point of view, having the production back to the place of use will bring with it skills and job opportunities previously imported from other countries. And, last but not least, from the environmental point of view there’s a special focus on sustainability: reducing transportations and shippings, the CO2 emissions will be reduces as well. But there’s more. Roboze is a technology company that can translate current and future manufacturing needs into solutions. PUNCH's know-how will be an accelerator for the development and deployment of these solutions on the territory. “We chose Roboze as our partner because we strongly believe in its patented ultra-precise 3D printing technology for super polymers and composites, which will allow us to replace metal alloys within the entire lifecycle of automotive and marine functional components, thus reducing the overall weight of the powerpack system and the related CO2 emissions, which we know to be increasingly stringent and challenging.– says Gianmarco Boretto, Director Hardware Engineering of PUNCH Torino - This technology allows us to create increasingly complex, resistant and functionally integrated systems through the application of specific product development techniques for additive manufacturing." Giancarlo Scianatico, EMEA Business Director of Roboze, says, "Thanks to the great experience of PUNCH Torino we will be able to implement our additive manufacturing technology in the automotive and marine fields, through a high quality and repeatable printing process and a new circular and sustainable production model. We want to demonstrate that by integrating PUNCH Torino's high engineering skills with our high-performance super materials, it is possible to design and develop innovative and high-performance systems; a winning example are the case studies previously realized, among which we find engine brackets with organic structures and integrated rails for high-pressure hydrogen applications."
Turin tests a new kickscooter, safer and more flexible
Financed under the Horizon 2020 program, it involves three important Turin companies in the sector as partners: PUNCH Torino Spa, which in the PUNCH Group has the role of leading the development and engineering of innovative propulsion systems, TO.TEM S.r.l., an innovative start-up company part of the PUNCH Group that develops innovative micro-mobility means, and 5T Srl
PUNCH Group’s vision for energy transition at VTM 2022
During the conferences and panel discussions at which PUNCH will take part, many different players involved in the automotive sector will share their proposal on the sustainable path each company is going towards.