Additive Manufacturing of an Electric Drive a Feasability Study

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) of end-use products is becoming more important to a variety of different industry sectors. Increasingly, more companies are utilizing the specific characteristics such as lightweight construction potential, functional integration and cost advantages in the area of small quantities for their production. Up to now, the additive manufactured components fulfil their function mainly by their geometric form. In order to elevate AM to the next level of functionality, it is necessary to directly generate mechatronised products and integrate electrical, thermal, magnetic or cognitive capabilities directly during production. In this publication we demonstrate that this is already partly possible by means of a nearly completely additive manufactured small electric motor.