European Researchers 3D Print Glass-like Metallic Components for More Efficient Electric Motors - 3DPrinting.com

• European Researchers 3D Print Glass-like Metallic Components for More Efficient Electric Motors March 13

Researchers at Saarland University are developing new metallic glass alloys that could reduce energy losses in electric motors used in devices like drones and e-bikes. The team, led by Professor Ralf Busch, is using 3D printing to manufacture motor components from these amorphous materials. The European Union is supporting their research with €3.5 million. Electric motors lose energy during operation due to “iron loss,” which occurs when magnetic fields inside the motor constantly change direction. In conventional crystalline metals, tiny magnetic elements must flip orientation during each field reversal, creating internal friction and wasting energy as heat. “The losses decrease dramatically when the crystallites are extremely small, i.e. nanocrystalline in structure, or when the crystal