Structure Design of Soft Magnetic Materials Using Electron-Beam-Based Additive Manufacturing

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Additive Manufacturing
• Magnetism

Background:

• Soft magnetic materials are crucial for electrical applications.
• Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) offers advanced manufacturing possibilities.
• Controlling microstructure is key to optimizing magnetic properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of hatching strategies in electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB) on the microstructure and magnetic properties of Fe93.5Si6.5 (wt%) soft magnetic materials.
• To determine if tailored microstructures can reduce magnetic losses.

Main Methods:

• Additive manufacturing of Fe93.5Si6.5 (wt%) soft magnetic materials using PBF-EB.
• Application of different hatching strategies to create varied microstructures.
• Characterization of magnetic properties, including hysteresis loops (B-H curves), power losses, and magnetic flux density at frequencies from 50 to 1000 Hz.

Main Results:

• Specimens exhibited identical relative densities but distinct structural features due to varying hatching strategies.
• Hatching strategies significantly influenced hysteresis losses at constant mass.
• Targeted structure design led to a significant reduction in hysteresis losses.

Conclusions:

• Additive manufacturing with PBF-EB and controlled hatching strategies enables microstructure engineering.
• Optimized structures result in superior soft magnetic properties at sub-kHz frequencies compared to conventional methods and laser PBF.
• This approach offers a pathway to enhanced magnetic performance in soft magnetic materials.