ELECTRICAL SHEET FOR AN ELECTRIC MACHINE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING AN ELECTRICAL SHEET

Abstract

An electrical sheet includes an electrical sheet main body produced by additive manufacturing (a 3D screen printing method) from at least a first and a second material. The first and second materials have magnetic properties which differ from one another, and first and second domains are formed in the electrical sheet main body from the first and second materials respectively. An electric machine is also provided. An electric machine and a method for producing an electrical sheet for use in a stator or rotor of an electric machine are also provided.

Claims

1. An electrical sheet for use in at least one of a stator or rotor of an electric machine, the electrical sheet comprising: an electrical sheet main body produced by additive manufacturing from at least a first material and a second material; and a first domain and a second domain formed in the electrical sheet main body from the first and second materials, respectively, wherein the first and second materials have a set of magnetic properties that differ from one another.

2. The electrical sheet according to claim 1, wherein the first and second materials have at least one of a different magnetic conductivity and a different magnetizability.

3. The electrical sheet according to claim 1, wherein the first material and the second material each comprise a metal alloy.

4. The electrical sheet according to claim 3, wherein the first material comprises an iron-cobalt alloy, and wherein the second material comprises an iron-silicon alloy.

5. The electrical sheet according to claim 1, wherein the first and second domains are arranged such that the electrical sheet has a desired conduction behavior with respect to a magnetic flux when used in the stator or rotor.

6. The electrical sheet according to claim 1, wherein the electrical sheet is composed of one- or multi parts, wherein the electrical sheet is structured segmentally.

7. The electrical sheet according to claim 1, wherein the electrical sheet main body is produced by an additive printing process including a 3D screen printing process.

8. The electrical sheet according to claim 7, wherein the electrical sheet main body includes a plurality of recesses formed in the electrical sheet main body and configured as structures to provide passing cooling channels through the electrical sheet.

9. The electrical machine having a rotor and a stator, wherein the rotor and stator each have at least one laminated core with electrical sheets, wherein the electrical sheets of the at least one laminated core associated with at least one of the rotor and stator are formed according to claim 1.

10. A method for producing a one- or multi-part electrical sheet including a segmented electrical sheet, wherein an electrical sheet main body is formed by additive manufacturing from at least a first and a second material, wherein the first and second materials have magnetic properties that differ from one another, the method comprising: defining a target geometry of the electrical sheet main body, wherein the target geometry comprises a distribution of first and second domains of the first and second materials, respectively, in the electrical sheet main body; successively layering layers of a first and second coating mass to form a main body blank, wherein the first coating mass comprises the first material and the second coating mass comprises the second material, and wherein the first and second coating masses are layered such that the main body blank has the distribution of the first and second domains of the first and second materials, respectively, corresponding to the target geometry; and sintering the main body blank.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the sintering is preceded by a drying of the main body blank.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the main body blank is cooled down following the sintering.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the main body blank is post-treated, following the sintering or cooling.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first and second materials have at least one of different magnetic conductivity and magnetizability.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first material and the second material each comprise a metal alloy.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first material comprises an iron-cobalt alloy and the second material comprises an iron-silicon alloy.

17. The method according to claim 10 further comprising: making a screen configured to be used in 3D Screen printing of the electrical main body and reproduce the target geometry of the electrical sheet main body; and conveying the first and second coating masses through fabric openings of the screen, wherein the fabric openings from a superordinate passage opening in the screen, wherein the fabric openings form a contour that corresponds to the target geometry, and wherein the first and second coating masses are layered such that the main body blank has the distribution of the first and second domains of the first and second materials.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the conveying of the first and second materials through the fabric openings of the screen includes using a doctor blade coating method to convey the first and second materials.

19. The method according to claim 10 further comprising cooling, after the sintering, a formed electrical sheet main body.

20. The method according to claim 10, wherein the sintering takes place in a furnace, and wherein the main body blank is arranged on a carrier positioned in the furnace.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0047] In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0048] The disclosure is further explained in more detail with reference to the following figures. These are to be understood merely as examples and are not intended to limit the disclosure to the exemplary embodiments shown.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an electrical sheet for use as a rotor in an electric machine, according to the teachings of the present disclosure;

[0050] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of an electrical sheet for use as a stator in an electric machine, according to the teachings of the present disclosure;

[0051] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of an electrical sheet for use as a stator in an electric machine, including an enlarged detail, according to the teachings of the present disclosure;

[0052] FIG. 4a show a schematic representation of the enlarged detail from FIG. 3, showing one formation of first and second domains of a first and second material in the electrical sheet according to the teachings of the present disclosure;

[0053] FIG. 4b shows a schematic representation of the enlarged detail from FIG. 3, showing another formation of the first and second domains of the first and second material in the electrical sheet according to the teachings of the present disclosure;

[0054] FIG. 4c show a schematic representation of the enlarged detail from FIG. 3, showing yet another formation of the first and second domains of the first and second material in the electrical sheet according to the teachings of the present disclosure; and

[0055] FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of a method for producing an electrical sheet, according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0056] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

[0058] FIG. 1 shows an electrical sheet 1 for use in a rotor of an electric machine, while FIG. 2 shows an electrical sheet 1 intended for use in a stator of an electric machine. Depending on the intended use (in one form in a rotor or stator), the electrical sheet 1 has a different geometric structure, which can have material recesses 2 formed in an electrical sheet main body 3. Since the geometry or design of electrical sheets 1 used in a rotor or stator can be varied, design variants in this respect will not be discussed further. The disclosure is applicable to a wide variety of geometries.

[0059] According to the disclosure, the electrical sheet main body 3 is manufactured by additive manufacturing (namely in a 3D screen printing process) from at least a first and a second material 11, 12. In so doing, the first and second materials 11, 12 have magnetic properties which differ from one another. As shown in FIGS. 4a-c, first domains 21 of the first material 11 and second domains 22 of the second material 12 are formed in the electrical sheet main body 3. FIGS. 4a-c show merely forms of arrangements of the domains 21, 22 in a detail of an electrical sheet main body 3 intended for use in a stator. The distribution of the domains 21, 22 of the first and second—materials 11, 12 can be adapted depending on the condition present in an electric machine, concerning, for example, the magnetic flux or the available installation space. FIGS. 4a-c show corresponding examples of possible variants of such a distribution of the first and second domains 21, 22. Here, the first material 11 may be an iron-cobalt alloy, and the second material 12 may be an iron-silicon alloy. The first domains 21 formed from the first material 11 (iron-cobalt) are shown hatched in FIGS. 4a-c.

[0060] The details of an electrical sheet 1 intended for use in a stator of an electric machine shown in FIGS. 4a-c correspond to the detail of the electrical sheet 1 highlighted in FIG. 3. Due to manufacture by a 3D screen printing process, the electrical sheets 1 can be flexibly adapted to the conditions present when used in the stator or rotor, in particular with a view to improved conduction behavior with respect to a magnetic flux.

[0061] FIG. 5 schematically shows the sequence of the 3D screen printing process for manufacturing an electrical sheet 1. In particular, an electrical sheet main body 3 is formed by a 3D screen printing process from at least a first and a second material 11, 12, wherein the first and second materials 11, 12 have magnetic properties which differ from one another. In a first step a., a target geometry of the electrical sheet main body 3 is determined, wherein the target geometry comprises a distribution of first and second domains 21, 22 of the first and second materials 11, 12, respectively, in the electrical sheet main body 3. The step of designing the target geometry is illustrated in FIG. 5 by a computer, on which the design process can be carried out simulatively. Subsequently, in a step b., a suitable screen 4 (in one form including a template) is made, which can be used in the screen printing of the electrical sheet main body 3 and which reproduces the target geometry of the electrical sheet main body 3. Thereupon, in a step c., a successive layering of a first and second coating mass 31, 32 is carried out to form a main body blank 6, wherein the first coating mass 31 comprises the first material 11 and the second coating mass 32 comprises the second material 12. The first coating mass 31 may be held in a first reservoir 41, while the second coating mass 32 may be held in a second reservoir 42. By suitable application devices (in one form nozzles), the first and second coating masses 31, 32, respectively, can be applied to the screen 4. The coating mass 31, 32 is conveyed through fabric openings of the screen 4 by a doctor blade, wherein the fabric openings of the screen 4 form a superordinate passage opening 7 in the screen 4, the contour of which corresponds to the target geometry of the electrical sheet main body 3. The first and second coating masses 31, 32 are layered in such a way that the main body blank 6 has the distribution of the first and second domains 21, 22 of the first and second materials 11, 12, respectively, corresponding to the target geometry. In the process, individual layers can be formed from the first or second coating mass 31, 32, or structures within a layer (level) can be formed by different coating masses, in one form the first and second coating mass 31, 32.

[0062] In a step d., a formed main body blank 5 is dried. Following the drying, the formed main body blank 5 is sintered. The sintering can take place in a furnace 8, wherein the formed main body blank 5 is arranged on a carrier 9 positioned in the furnace 8. After sintering, the formed electrical sheet main body 3 is cooled and, if desired, post-treated.

[0063] Unless otherwise expressly indicated herein, all numerical values indicating mechanical/thermal properties, compositional percentages, dimensions and/or tolerances, or other characteristics are to be understood as modified by the word “about” or “approximately” in describing the scope of the present disclosure. This modification is desired for various reasons including industrial practice, material, manufacturing, and assembly tolerances, and testing capability.

[0064] As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR B OR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed to mean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”

[0065] It should be noted that the features listed individually in the claims may be combined with one another in any technically feasible manner (even across category boundaries, in one form, the electrical sheet, the electric machine, and the method) and indicate further forms of the disclosure. The description additionally characterizes and specifies the disclosure, particularly in conjunction with the figures.

[0066] It should also be noted that a conjunction “and/or” used herein that stands between and links two features is always to be interpreted such that in a first form of the subject matter according to the disclosure only the first feature may be present, in a second form only the second feature may be present, and in a third form both the first and second features may be present.

[0067] The apparatuses and methods described in this application may be partially or fully implemented by a special purpose computer created by configuring a general-purpose computer to execute one or more particular functions embodied in computer programs. The functional blocks, flowchart components, and other elements described above serve as software specifications, which can be translated into the computer programs by the routine work of a skilled technician or programmer.

[0068] The description of the disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the substance of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.