Additively Manufactured Maraging Steel for Electrical Machines: Magnetic Characterization and PMSM Prototype

• Magnetic properties and iron loss of additively manufactured maraging steel are measured. • An iron loss reduction strategy compatible with powder bed fusion is proposed. • Measured material characteristics are used to design and experimentally evaluate a PMSM prototype. Additive manufacturing offers many opportunities for electrical machine applications, including new cooling structures, integrated channels, high fill factor windings, and novel magnetic cores. Although many materials for magnetic cores have been successfully printed, challenges often include a complex search for processing parameters and high iron loss. The primary objective of this study is the magnetic characterization of maraging steel, a material commonly available in the portfolios of metal additive manufacturing systems, with the aim of assessing its suitability for electrical machine applications. The material is first characterized magnetically, and a loss reduction method is proposed. To demonstrate its applicability, a permanent magnet synchronous machine is designed and experimentally evaluated using both metal and polymer additive manufacturing. Although the machine shows lower efficiency than conventional machines, the material still shows potential for applications where high iron loss is not too limiting.