3D printing of polymer-bonded anisotropic magnets in an external magnetic field and by a modified production process

Abstract

The possibility of producing polymer-bonded magnets with the aid of additive processes, such as 3D printing, opens up a multitude of new areas of application. Almost any structures and prototypes can be produced cost-effectively in small quantities. Extending the 3D printing process allows the manufacturing of anisotropic magnetic structures by aligning the magnetic easy axis of ferromagnetic particles inside a paste-like compound material along an external magnetic field. This is achieved by two different approaches. First, the magnetic field for aligning the particles is provided by a permanent magnet. Second, the 3D printing process itself generates an anisotropic behavior of the structures. An inexpensive and customizable end-user fused filament fabrication 3D printer is used to print magnetic samples. The magnetic properties of different magnetic anisotropic Sr ferrite and SmFeN materials are investigated and discussed.