On a project made performed in Technische Universität Wien an innovative solution for magnet production was found. Benefitting from 3D technologies, this project is observed to have effective results.
3D has contributed many manufacturing project since it entered production stage. Now, a magnet is produced with this technology in Technische Universität Wien(TU Wien). A special kind of filament was used for this production.
The strength of a magnetic field is not the only factor,” says Dieter Süss, Head of the Christian-Doppler Advanced Magnetic Sensing and Materials laboratory at TU Wien. “We often require special magnetic fields, with field lines arranged in a very specific way – such as a magnetic field that is relatively constant in one direction, but which varies in strength in another direction.”
In order to achieve such requirements, magnets must be produced with a sophisticated geometric form. “A magnet can be designed on a computer, adjusting its shape until all requirements for its magnetic field are met,” explains Christian Huber, a doctoral student in Dieter Süss’ team.
But once you have the desired geometric shape, how do you go about implementing the design? The injection moulding process is one solution, but this requires the creation of a mould, which is time-consuming and expensive, rendering this method barely worthwhile for producing small quantities.
Not only is this new process fast and cost-effective, it also opens up new possibilities which
would be inconceivable with other techniques: you can use different materials within a single magnet to create a smooth transition between strong and weak magnetism, for instance. “Now we will test the limits of how far we can go – but for now it is certain that 3D printing brings something to magnet design which we could previously only dream of,” declares Dieter Süss.