New Magnetic Materials in the Electrical Machines: Development and Applications

Several technologies have been recently proposed for the realization of the magnetic parts of electromechanical devices: soft and hard magnetic components should find new ways to be realized. The use of Soft Magnetic Composites and bonded magnets is made possible with the adoption of new technologies, such as the powder metallurgy and polymers molding. Replacing traditional magnetic sheets with parts obtained by molding special magnetic powders is really promising in realizing complex shapes of electrical machines. Something analogous is proposed for what concerns the permanent magnets: new solutions are possible adopting bonded magnets in substitution of ferrites and in some cases of NdFeB sintered magnets. Rare earths powders, mixed with organic binders, allow to realize bonded magnets with interesting results, and the possibility to “tune” the magnetization characteristic opens to new solutions to be investigated. In the manuscript bonded magnets and SMCs have been adopted to realize electrical machine prototypes.