Design and Loss Analysis of the Additively Manufactured Windings With High Slot Fill Factor

As additive manufacturing (AM) technologies rapidly advance, their application in fabricating structural components for motors has received significant attention. This paper presents the design of two concentrated winding structures with variable cross-sectional shapes based on AM, which can significantly improve the slot fill factor. Achieving a high slot fill factor significantly enhances the motor's output torque. However, AM windings exhibit increased sensitivity to frequency variations, leading to higher winding losses. An analysis of the loss distribution in AM windings reveals that losses primarily concentrate in the conductors near the slot opening. To minimize these losses, this paper proposes a loss suppression strategy for AM windings that does not compromise the slot fill factor. The optimized windings demonstrate a 26.5% reduction in losses and a 13% decrease in winding temperature. Finally, two distinct prototypes are developed: one utilizing AM windings and the other conventional windings. Both prototypes are tested to assess their electromagnetic and thermal performance.