A Novel Quad-Leg Transverse-Flux Permanent Magnet Linear Motor for 3-D Printer Applications

Abstract

This paper presents a novel quadratic transverse-flux permanent magnet linear motor (QTFPMLM) with C-core modules and cylindrical PMs for 3-D printer applications. The motor topology is introduced. Then, the operating principle of the proposed motor is illustrated and the thrust and cogging torque equations are derived. The 3-D finite element analysis is adopted to obtain the main magnetic characteristics of the machine in terms of magnetic flux density distributions, flux linkage, back-EMF, cogging force, and thrust waveforms. The superiority of the proposed QTFPMLM is proved based on the simulation results. To this end, a linear transverse flux motor is considered and the results are compared. It is shown that the proposed motor has lower cogging force, normal force, and thrust ripple, which makes this motor a viable candidate for high-speed and accurate applications, especially 3-D printer applications.