Additive Design Possibilities of Electrical Machines

Electrical machine design is pushed forward by the need of increased energy efficiency, progress of system integration and devices mobility, which has led to the investigation of alternative production methods for electrical machines. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is opening up new ground for innovations in low-volume production due to faster and cheaper prototyping, reduced lead time and shorter supply chains. It is a relatively new technology, which enables the tool-free production of components and entire assemblies directly from a CAD file. Today, the technology is still not widely used in industrial production, but it is gaining more and more popularity. This paper investigates the possibilities of additive design of electrical machines, as there is a need for principles how to design electrical machine so that it would be suitable for 3D printing.