Researchers at Saarland University introduced 3D-printed motor components made from metallic glass alloys, featuring an amorphous (glass-like) atomic structure that reduces magnetic friction. The EU-funded AM2SoftMag project produced alloys containing 70–80% iron and used laser powder bed fusion to build parts with 50-micrometer layers.
The team screened hundreds of five-element compositions to find three alloys that resist crystallization and are compatible with additive manufacturing; industrial partner Heraeus AMLOY Technologies handled the printing of magnetic pieces. Partners in Spain, Italy, Poland and Germany collaborated on materials selection and process development to bring the prototypes toward scalable production.
For consumers and manufacturers, these amorphous components promise lower "iron loss" in electric motors, improving efficiency for drones, e-bikes and other devices by reducing heat and energy waste. The work points to a trend of pairing advanced alloys with AM to cut performance losses in next-generation electromechanical systems.
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What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- 3d-printed Metallic Glass Components
- The integration of laser powder bed fusion with amorphous metallic alloys enables motor parts with reduced magnetic friction and thinner thermal profiles that challenge conventional laminated cores.
- High-iron Amorphous Alloys for Motors
- Alloys with 70–80% iron that resist crystallization present a pathway to significantly lower iron losses in electromechanical devices compared with traditional crystalline steels.
- Material-process Co-optimization for Additive Manufacturing
- Co-development of alloy composition and AM process parameters creates opportunities to produce complex, performance-optimized magnetic geometries unachievable with stamping or sintering.
Sectors Adopting This
- Electric Mobility
- E-bikes, scooters and passenger EVs could realize higher range and lower cooling requirements through motors built from amorphous metallic glass components.
- Aerospace and Drones
- Unmanned aerial systems may benefit from lighter, more efficient propulsion units that extend flight time and reduce thermal management complexity.
- Industrial Motor Manufacturing
- Factory drives and servo motors have the potential to shrink in size while delivering improved efficiency and reduced energy waste when adopting printed amorphous magnetic parts.
