ExOne/Maxxwell Motors
ExOne is working with Maxxwell Motors to develop a copper e-winding design for its axial flux electric motors that can be printed with metal binder jetting technology.
These motors can be used in electric vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles and other industrial devices.
Maxxwell Motors was founded in 2018 to enhance the design and manufacture of electric motors. The company is led by CEO Michael Paritee, a former General Motors executive that managed several advanced vehicle programmes, and Chairman Gary Wells, the former CEO and current board member of Wells’ Dairy. It holds nine US and global patents and has already launched a 10kW air-cooled motor generator and a 150-kW liquid-cooled motor.
In partnership with ExOne, Maxxwell Motors is seeking to overcome the cost, inefficiency and design limitations of current design and manufacture methods of copper winding and rotors in electric motors. The partners are said to have successfully proved out a new concept for binder jet 3D printing a high-efficiency design in copper that eliminates those challenges, with additional development and testing now underway.
Maxxwell’s goal is to 3D print the winding assemblies as a monolithic piece, removing the need for coil wrapping, bending, tooling and welding of the individual parts. In doing this, the 3D printed part would require less manufacturing steps and utilise less energy, according to the companies, with less material also being used. They also expect improved performance and say the 3D printing process is a ‘relatively affordable’ for this application.
“When we 3D print it, a lot of the challenges just go away and we can actually improve the performance of the motor itself,” commented Paritee. “At Maxxwell, we’re taking the most sustainable, and additive manufacturing, point of view as possible to truly improve efficiency, reduce waste and optimise performance.”
“The ExOne team is proud to work with both traditional manufacturers and visionary startups working to change the world with innovative concepts such as these,” added ExOne CEO John Hartner. “As the automotive industry enters a new era of electrification, our world-class team of engineers stands ready to help solve some of the most pressing challenges with our binder jet 3D printing technology.”
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