Advancing Electric Motor Design Through Additive Manufacturing
By Ollie Hartfield - Advanced Research Engineer, Design and Build Production Solutions - Manufacturing Technology Centre
Synopsis:
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The Future Electric Motor Systems 3 (FEMS3) project investigated Additive Manufacturing (AM) as a method to lightweight a high-power density electric motor. The MTC team redesigned the subtractive manufactured casing and combining 3 machined components, 8 fasteners, and 3 O-rings into a single part. The increased design freedoms of AM allowed the use of advanced design tools, such as nTopology and Siemens NX, to perform topology optimisation, generate complex lattice structures and define manufacturing drawings to support end-to-end manufacturing. The result led to a reduction in mass of over 65%, with additional benefits seen in the reduction of assembly steps, the elimination of multiple seals and reduced lifetime environmental impact
Ollie Hartfield is an Advanced Research Engineer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) specialising in Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). After completing a Masters in Additive Manufacturing (AM) at the University of Sheffield and 4 years of experience the MTC, Ollie has developed a strong appreciation for the importance of design in the AM workflow. He led the design of AM components for the award winning third generation future electric motor programme at the MTC. With experience designing components for various polymer, metal and ceramic AM technologies, Ollie has also been spearheading the MTC’s research into DfAM practices that have greater sustainable impact.