Recently, American power technology company won the non exclusive license from Oak Ridge National Laboratory about magnet 3D printing technology, plans to make NdFeB 3D printing technology commercialization.3D printing technology magnet manufacturing (
permanent magnet) bonded magnet, its mechanical properties and fiber structure properties are better than the bonded magnets that have the same fiber structure which made by traditional injection molding method.
Magnet 3D printing technology will be commercialized, A power technology company located in Dallas of the United States won the non exclusive authorization of magnet 3D printing technology from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) , to make the recycled material magnet 3D printing technology commercialization, the technology of ORNL can be used for electric vehicles ,the wind turbine and the high-speed railway, even has more advantages than traditional methods, besides of this, the power technology company also received other two authorization from ORNL, rare earth minerals and e-waste magnet recycling.
Under the authority of key materials of the United States Department of energy (which this project is established by it) and ORNL , we put these technologies together, can produce out low cost use recycled materials. "Magnet power technology CEO Preston Bryant said.
Scientists have used large format printer BAAM to demonstrated the preparation of isotropic, near net size, NdFeB Bonded magnet (permanent magnet) in ORNL, the research results published in the scientific report, the mechanical properties and fiber structure properties are better than the bonded magnets that has the same structure, which made by the traditional injection molding method.
The 3D printing method uses a composite particle - which contains 65% isotropic neodymium iron boron powder and 35% polyamide (nylon 12); the particles are melted and mixed and extruded by BAAM layers to achieve the desired state.
The traditional manufacturing of sintered magnet cause up to 30-50% waste on material , 3D printing near zero waste of magnet material, which is particularly important for the United States, because manufacturing permanent magnets required neodymium, dysprosium and other rare earth elements , which mined and separated outside of United States. 3D printing process not only can save material but also can make complex shapes, not need any additional tools, the speed is faster than traditional injection method, so that it is more economical.
This approach can also change design quickly, for example, clients may need 50 different designs of magnets," says ORNL, a researcher at LingLi and co-author of the paper.
NdFeB magnets are the most powerful magnets on earth and can be used for many things, from computer hard drives to mobile phones, to clean energy technologies such as electric cars and wind turbines
The director of Key Materials Institute, AlexKing also believes that this study has great potential, "print out high strength, complex shape of magnet has changed the rules applied in senior high electric motor and engine manufacturing method, it eliminated a lot more restrictions".
The future work of researchers will focus on exploring the printing directional anisotropic magnets, the magnetic force is stronger than isotropic magnets, they will also study the affects of binder type, powder load fraction and processing temperature magnetic field of printed magnet and mechanical properties.
