Influences of process parameters on rare earth magnets produced by laser beam melting

Powerful permanent magnets are of essential meaning for electric drives as well as for environmental friendly energy production. To meet industrial requirements like high energy products, thermal stability and acceptable price mostly NdFeB-based alloys are taken into account. For these alloys, a trade-off has to be made when it comes to net-shape production. Either simple geometries can be produced maxing out the full magnetic potential of the material, or a nonmagnetic binder has to be used to produce more complex shapes at the price of reduced magnetic properties. To overcome these limitations, we present a detailed study on additive manufacturing of an NdFeB-alloy by Laser Beam Melting. By employing this technology, nearly any shape can be produced in a single process without using a secondary material or extensive post processing.