Advancing 3D-Printed NdFeB Magnets

February 6, 2017

Jennifer Shuttleworth

Magnet Applications, Inc. (DuBois, PA), a Bunting Magnetics Co., has made a technology advancement in 3D-printed neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnets. According to Magnet Applications, engineers from the company, working together with researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), have proven that permanent magnets produced by additive manufacturing outperform bonded magnets using traditional methods with less waste. The company claims they manufactured the starting composite pellets with 65 volume % isotropic NdFeB powder and 35% polyamide nylon-12 binder in a precise ratio, blended to a consistent texture. The 3D printing was performed at ORNL with the Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) system. “Additive manufacturing in magnets provides multiple benefits,” said Magnet Applications' Dr. John Ormerod, Senior Technical Advisor. “They have more design flexibility." NdFeB magnets are the most powerful on earth, and are used in a variety of applications including robotics, wind turbines, electric vehicles, electric motors and other consumer and industrial equipment. The complete study is published in Scientific Reports. For more information, visit here .