Metallic Glass Innovations to Boost Electric Motor Efficiency

• Researchers developed new metallic glass materials and 3D-printing techniques to increase the efficiency of electric motors.
• Improving motor efficiency is critical, as these devices consume over 50% of electricity in the EU.
• New designs aim for up to 5% efficiency gains, which could reduce energy costs and extend battery life for vehicles and drones.
• The AM2SoftMag initiative successfully demonstrated that metallic glass components can be manufactured without losing their specialized properties.

Advanced Materials

• Unlike conventional metals with orderly crystalline structures, metallic glasses are "frozen liquids" with disordered structures.
• This structure allows magnetic domains to shift with less resistance, significantly reducing energy losses as heat within motors.
• Researchers have created new cobalt-free alloys to decrease reliance on critical raw materials and improve supply chain security.

Manufacturing and Implementation

• Producing these components requires metal 3D printing with extreme cooling rates of approximately one million degrees Celsius per second.
• Controlling the cooling process is essential; improper thermal management causes crystallization, destroying the glass-like properties.
• Engineering teams are now working to optimize motor designs using these materials and scale the manufacturing process for industrial application.