INVITED - Unlocking the Potential of Magnetic Materials for Electric Motors with Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing allows for fabrication of near-net shape complex parts, which is challenging if not impossible using more traditional technologies. The intricated design of such parts can lead to significant performance increase in many industrial applications, such as electric motors. Indeed, 3D printed electric motors can be more efficient and can generate enhanced power levels, which is crucial for electrification of transportation. However, unlocking this potential requires significant material research efforts to obtain optimized properties. So far, most studies have focused on identifying the printing parameters and performing initial optimization of magnetic properties. Therefore, there are still many material performance aspects that need to be tackled, including mechanical properties and thermal resistance. This presentation will address critical aspects of additive manufacturing of magnetic materials for electric motors, ranging from powder properties and selection, process development and parameters, material magnetic and mechanical properties optimization, and complex-shape part integration into new motors geometries for enhanced performance. Material development challenges and solutions will be highlighted via the discussion of three main examples: 1) Fabrication of a 3D layered-motor using cold spray additive manufacturing, and the challenges related to the mechanical properties of a thick multilayer assembly, 2) Alternative magnet materials for high temperature aerospace applications, and 3) Laser powder printing of permanent magnets toward integrated cooling solutions. For each example, the breakthrough advantages of additive manufacturing will be showcased by illustrating the potential gain in motor performance, which will be followed by discussing the challenges related to each approach and the developed solutions.