Additive Manufacturing of Neodymium-Iron-Boron Permanent Magnets

Additive Manufacturing (AM) process technologies gain increased degree of technical maturity through the implementation of quality control mechanisms, fully automated production systems as well as increasing knowledge about the effects during the build-up processes. Nevertheless, the main focus of current research and development activities is set on the processing of conventional construction materials with sufficient mechanical properties. The implementation of additional, mechatronic features, e.g. optic or magnetic functions, is not well investigated yet. But as already demonstrated with printed electronics, which are decisive for manufacturing antenna structures in modern consumer electronics like smartphones, additional functionality can lift the potentials of AM to a new level. Mechatronic functionalities require a smart combination of different functional materials that are not commercially available for AM processes yet. Within this paper, a survey of the possibilities of printing rare earth permanent magnets with different process technologies is presented. The technology with the highest magnetic performance is presented more in detail and a concept for further increasing the magnetic performance is outlined.