The Impact of Additive Manufacturing on the Development of Electrical Machines for MEA Applications: A Feasibility Study

Michele Garibaldi (1) , Chris Gerada (1) , Ian Ashcroft (1) , Richard Hague (1) , Herve Morvan (1)

1 UON - University of Nottingham, UK

This paper discusses the potential of Additive Manufacturing (AM) as an innovative means of manufacturing electrical machines, with particular focus on the benefits for the MEA. It is argued that the unrivalled design freedom offered by AM may revolutionise the way rotating electrical machines are designed and manufactured. Until now the design of standard electrical motors has not gone much beyond the two-dimensions, mainly due to constraints imposed by the manufacturing processes employed. The possibility offered by AM to extend the design to the three-dimensional space introduces new opportunities towards the fabrication of compact, highly performing electrical machines, whose impact would be highly beneficial especially for MEA-related applications. The challenges entailed, as well as the factors that might lead to the successful introduction of AM to the MEA world are investigated based on the existing literature.

Mots clés: MEA; AM; SLM; electrical machines; additive manufacturing; 3D Printing; magnetic materials; Silicon Steel

Domaines: Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]

Michele Garibaldi, Chris Gerada, Ian Ashcroft, Richard Hague, Herve Morvan. The Impact of Additive Manufacturing on the Development of Electrical Machines for MEA Applications: A Feasibility Study. MEA2015 More Electric Aircraft, Feb 2015, Toulouse, France. ⟨hal-01178353⟩