Imagine printing a motor part like a Lego set, but using different materials in one piece to make it stronger and lighter. Instead of relying on expensive and hard-to-get rare minerals, this method uses smarter designs to get the same power. It also makes it much easier to take the motor apart and recycle the valuable bits when it's worn out.
Electric motor manufacturers rely on expensive, geopolitically risky Rare Earth Elements and face trade-offs between motor weight and performance.
A set of design tools and multi-material 3D printing processes to create lightweight, energy-efficient motor rotors and stators.
If you are an EV manufacturer dealing with high costs and supply risks of rare earth magnets — this project developed multi-material 3D printing that can reduce magnet mass by 50%. This leads to a 20% increase in energy efficiency and lighter vehicles.
If you are a motor producer dealing with long production cycles for induction motors — this project developed a manufacturing process that reduces rotor lead-time by 20%. It also allows for a 20% reduction in inactive motor components.
If you are a space tech company dealing with strict weight limits for rotary actuators — this project developed lightweight, multi-functional structures. This results in a 30% improvement in overall performance for brushless DC motors used in space.
The project targets a 50% reduction in the mass of magnets, which typically require expensive Rare Earth Elements (REE).
Based on available project data, the project uses multi-material additive manufacturing (MM-AM) and has 10 industrial partners to validate the process.
Based on available project data, the project is developing a specific toolbox for multi-physics design, but licensing terms are not specified.
The project aims for a 20% reduction in the manufacturing lead-time for rotors.
The project focuses on end-of-life operations to ensure a recyclability rate of over 60% for the materials used.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven, with 10 industrial partners (71% of the group) and 5 SMEs across 9 countries. This high industrial ratio suggests the project is focused on commercial viability rather than pure academic research, with VTT (Finland) coordinating the technical integration.
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