Development and Manufacturing of Axial-Flux Synchronous Reluctance Motors With 3-D Printing Technology

3-D printing technology is utilized to develop a synchronous reluctance rotor tailored for axial-flux motors that feature a 3-D-patterned flux path, which cannot be manufactured by traditional lamination or thermosetting processing. Accordingly, a novel axial-flux synchronous reluctance machine with a 3-D-printed rotor (3D-AF-SynRM) is proposed. The innovative axial-flux topology offers unique performance advantages, including a high saliency ratio, substantial torque density, and mechanical stability, surpassing the radial-flux counterparts. The article focuses on outlining the development framework and additive manufacturing considerations for the proposed motor. This includes topology design, parameter optimization, performance evaluation, and the 3-D printing process. Particularly, to overcome the challenge of crafting the complex 3-D flux barriers in the rotor, a comprehensive electromagnetic-structural codesign methodology will be introduced, including three models for simulation accuracy, rapid computation, and practical manufacturability. Additionally, a prototype of the proposed 3D-AF-SynRM has been fabricated and tested, validating the theoretical performance merits of this machine.