New Grades of SmCo for High Power Density Motors
by Mr Kaan Üstüner of VACUUMSCHMELZE GmbH & Co KG

Rare earth permanent magnets are of high importance for energy efficient motors, generators and other advanced applications. In case of high power density motors and many other utilisations that involve high temperature or harsh environmental conditions Sm-Co based permanent magnets are recommended due to their good intrinsic properties. For system performance and a sustainable use of the raw material it is desirable to improve the magnetic properties. To increase the magnetic properties of Sm(Co,Fe,Cu,Zr)x based permanent magnets optimization experiments were done in the development department at VACUUMSCHMELZE and advanced characterization of selected samples was done in collaboration with Technical University Darmstadt, some results were recently published [1]. VAC succeeded in increasing the magnetic properties. The new grade VACOMAX® 262 HR has a minimum remanence (Br_min) of 1.15 T this is 10 % higher compared to the known VACOMAX® 225 HR grade and leads to a 25 % higher minimum energy density. Further improvements are realized with a new premium quality with Br_min ≥ 1.17 T. In the presentation the development approach and the new grades will be introduced. [1] M. Duerrschnabel, M. Yi, K. Uestuener, M. Liesegang, M. Katter, H.-J. Kleebe, B. Xu, O. Gutfleisch and L. Molina-Luna, Atomic structure and domain wall pinning in samarium-cobalt based permanent magnets, Nature Communications, 8, 54, (2017)

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An Update on CALORIVAC
by Dr Alexander Barcza of VACUUMSCHMELZE GmbH & Co KG

Magnetic refrigeration matured significantly over the last decade demonstrating the ability to overcome many technological hurdles. Devices having a large temperature span or a cooling power greater than 1 kW have been built. This illustrates the various potential areas of application. In order to increase the commercial relevancy of magnetic refrigeration, machines demonstrating efficiencies comparable to current vapour compression refrigerators have to be developed. This remains the biggest challenge to date. Key to reaching this goal lies to a large extent in the intrinsic magnetocaloric performance of the alloys and the possibilities of shaping the alloys into efficient heat exchange structures. La-Fe-Si based alloys combined with production methods used in the field of powder metallurgy offer a way to tackle this challenge. In this work we will present an up to date overview of the pilot production process and magnetocaloric properties of La-Fe-Si alloys. For room temperature applications the La-Fe-Mn-Si-H series reaches adiabatic temperature changes similar to Gadolinium and isothermal entropy changes up to three times that of Gadolinium. We will present production methods allowing feature sizes of less than 400 µm and a reduced pressure drop compared to irregular particles. Net-shaping of spherical particles as well as the possibility to retain macroscopic structure after hydrogenation will be discussed.

VACOFLUX® 27 - A New High Saturation Fe-27%Co Alloy
by Dr Frederik Fohr of VACUUMSCHMELZE GmbH & Co KG

We present a new variation of the typical Fe-27%Co alloy with the trade name VACOFLUX® 27. This alloy contains small additions of niobium or tantalum, which greatly improve the ductility of the binary alloy. Having a saturation induction of 2.43 T at 400 A/cm, VACOFLUX® 27 is superior to the other commercial available chromium- type Fe-27%Co alloys. On the other hand the electrical resistivity is reduced, so that static high field applications are most suitable for VACOFLUX® 27.

Recent in advances in Cut Core Technology for High Power Electronics
by Dr Gabriela Saage of VACUUMSCHMELZE GmbH & Co KG

The Characterisation of Cobalt Iron for High Temperature Electrical Machine Applications
by Prof Geraint Jewell of University of Sheffield

This presentation will present the findings from extensive characterisation and modelling of Cobalt-iron for high temperature electrical machines. This characterisation is performed within the context of a design study on switched reluctance machine for a 350°C ambient. The characterisation focusses on aspects such as ageing effects of core loss coefficients at elevated temperatures and methods for deriving constant for high frequency and high flux densities.

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High Performance Drivetrain for Fomula Student Electric racing
by Mr Tobias Zumsteg of AMZ Racing Team

We are the AMZ Racing Team, a group of students at the federal institute of technology (ETH) in Zurich. Our goal is to build a new electric race car for the formula student electric racing series every year. Formula Student originated in the early eighties in Texas and has since grown to be the world’s largest engineering design competition. The idea is for engineering students to learn what it takes to develop, manufacture, assemble, test and race a complex product in a very competitive setting with constraints on time and budget. Today, more than 600 teams at universities all around the world are building race cars in order compete against eachother at 18 Events all around the globe. In the eleven-year history of our team we have managed to climb to the top of the Formula Student world ranking list by consistently improving our vehicles and coming up with innovative concepts. We topped our jubilee last year by setting a new world record for the fastest electric acceleration: our 2014 car grimsel took 1.513 seconds to reach 100 kph. In order to stay competitive we need all the components of the car to be perfectly fit to eachother. In-house design of nearly all components allows us to do just that. By building the motor to our needs we achieve an extraordinary power density while keeping losses to a minimum. In the presentation we would like to give you a brief overview of our team and cars as well as highlight some of the key aspects of our powertrain.

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High Performance Drivetrain for Acrobatic Aeroplane
by Mr Steven Duenki & Mr Patrick Walti of Evolaris Aviation

Optimisation of Magnets for Motor Design Using Field Shaping
by Dr-Ing Jörn Steinbrink & Mr Michael Weickhmann of Leibniz Universität Hannover, Vacuumschmelze GmbH & Co KG

Requirement and specifications on the machine design Physical and technical limits and their restrictions Discussion of different PM-Orientation and topologies Discussion of different PM-Motor-Designs and topologies Analysis of different PM-orientation Validation and verification of the calculation versus measurements Conclusion

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Substitution of Critical Elements in Magnetic Materials
by Prof Dr Oliver Gutfleisch of TU Darmstadt and Fraunhofer IWKS

The realisation of renewable energy technologies is generally linked to the sustainable availability of strategic metals such as the group of rare earth elements (REE) namely Nd, Gd, Tb, Dy, transition metals such as Co, Ga, Ge, In, and the platinum group metals. Resource criticality is understood here as a concept to assess potentials and risks in using raw materials and their functionality in emerging technologies. The concept of criticality of strategic metals is explained here by looking at demand, sustainability and the reality of alternatives of rare earth elements. The expected increase in e-mobility and wind energy and other smart magnet usages in the future has yet to have its impact on the rare earth market and no viable substitute is at hand now for the massive amounts of high-energy density magnets needed. Various new concept of heavy rare earth free, free rare earth and rare earth free magnets as well as recycled magnets will be described.

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RE Permanent Magnets For Motors & Generators - Applications & Requirements
by Dr Michael Krispen of Siemens AG

Electrical machines based on Permanent Magnets (PM) with high energy density are well suited as drives and generators in a wide range of applications. With increasing need for renewable energy sources and eMobility on land, in water, and even in air, the fields of applications are broadening and therefore demand for high performance permanent magnets is expected to grow. The presentation will discuss different applications at Siemens and the impact of modern magnetic materials. Furthermore potential innovations in production processes will be addressed

Recycling of Rare Earth Magnet
by Dr Badrinath Veluri of Grundfos A/S

Life cycle based on water and the related energy consumption is significantly higher in today’ world. Mining in the natural environment comprises the majority of acquisition of REEs and, like most mining operations, results in a large quantity (greater than 90 percent) of excess and un-used materials. Due to the increased, focus on the environmental protection and sustainability aspects the need for managing resource development and mitigation of impacts during the acquisition, use, and disposal of REEs. The study compile current information to develop a strategy for effective utilization of REE resources and reducing potential environmental impacts by adopting the emerging efficient production technologies.

3D Printed Magnets
by Dr Christian Huber of Technical University Vienna

Polymer bonded magnets enable the manufacturing of complex shapes and features by design flexibility regarding shape and magnetizing structure. Recently it was shown that an end-user 3D printer can be used to print polymer bonded NdFeB magnets with a specific complex shape [1]. By means of inverse stray field simulations, a specific external field of a magnetic system can be designed and manufactured instantly by the help of the additive manufacturing procedure [2, 3]. [1] C. Huber et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 109 (2016):162401. [2] C. Huber et al., J. Appl. Phys. 122, (2017):053904. [3] C. Huber et al., Sci. Rep. 7, (2017):9419.

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Recent Advances in Isotropic Melt-Spun Nd-Fe-B Magnetic Powders for Automotive Applications
by Dr Zhongmin Chen of Magnequench

In this presentation, we will report our recent research efforts into developing higher-performance melt-spun Nd-Fe-B powders for automotive applications through composition and processing optimizations. First development is that by optimizing the melt-spinning processing technology, a significantly finer and more uniform microstructure has been achieved, which leads to enhanced magnetic properties. As a result, a series of new products (such as MQP-15-12 and MQP-17-9) have been successfully developed. These new products have higher remanence and energy product with comparable thermal stability with their prior counterparts (e.g., MQP-14-12 and MQP-16-9). A case study on MQP-15-12 vs. MQP-14-12 in motor performance will also be presented to demonstrate the benefit of new powder products. Another recent advance is the development of a new powder product (MQP-14-14) for higher remanence at 150°C. Market has indicated there are certain applications where higher remanence (than MQP-14-12) at 150°C is desirable. To meet this requirement, a series of Co substitution for Fe has been applied to Nd-Fe-Nb-B melt-spun powder and the effect of Co content was systematically studied. Based on the findings, a new Nd-(Fe,Co)-Nb-B powder product (MQP-14-14) with higher remanence at 150°C has been developed to serve the industry needs.

Pushing Electrical Machines’ Operational Boundaries and Performance through Advancements in Materials
by Dr David Gerada of Nottingham University

This presentation gives an overview of recent advancements in electrical machine materials such as electrical steels, magnets, copper wire and copper alloys. Describing the technical challenges and target performance-metrics of electrical machines for future land and air transportation, case studies highlighting the exploitation of the novel materials within multi-domain design environments are discussed.

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