Additive Manufacturing Modeling Research Fostering Innovation in Soft Magnets

ongoing

The AMMoRFISM (Additive Manufacturing Modeling Research Fostering Innovation in Soft Magnets) project seeks to address the critical need for high-performance soft magnetic materials in the transition toward greater electrification, a key aspect of the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality goals. Energy production and use account for over 75% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the development of next-generation power electronics and electric motors/generators is essential to reduce these emissions. Amorphous and nanocrystalline metals, known for their superior soft magnetic properties, hold great potential in this regard. However, these materials face limitations due to their low glass-forming ability, which restricts their production to a narrow range of manufacturing techniques. This project aims to leverage additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, particularly laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF), to overcome these limitations. LPBF offers rapid cooling rates that allow the production of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) from alloys with low glass-forming ability, such as Fe-based soft magnetic alloys. Recent breakthroughs have demonstrated the potential of LPBF to print complex 3D geometries with excellent mechanical and magnetic properties, but advances still rely primarily on inefficient experimental trial-and-error methods. AMMoRFISM will develop an advanced computational framework to predict amorphous and crystalline phase formation during LPBF of soft magnetic alloys, focusing on the Kuamet6B2 alloy. The research objectives include developing a multiphysics thermomechanical model, a phase transformation kinetics model, and predictive tools for print quality and phase fractions. These tools will guide alloy design and process optimization, validated through experimental data from the ongoing AM2SoftMag project. This project is highly relevant to the work program as it aims to advance energy-efficient manufacturing and the electrification of the EU’s energy systems.