Axial flux motor manufacturing technology
In recent years, with the continuous advancement of technology and the gradual recognition of the market, axial flux motors have gradually begun to move towards mass production. The use of axial flux motors in the automotive field has begun to attract much attention. Although this motor technology is not the first to appear in passenger cars, the rapid development of the electric vehicle industry in the past decade has brought it new opportunities. The application scenarios of axial flux motors are not only in new energy vehicles. The compact size, lightweight design and high efficiency of axial flux motors have gradually attracted the attention of the industry and have shown broad application prospects in aerospace, ship propulsion, robotics and other fields.
01 Introduction to axial flux motors
Axial flux motors (Axial Flux Motor), also known as disc motors or flat motors, are a special type of motor whose magnetic flux direction flows along the axial direction of the motor (that is, along the axis of the motor).
In terms of structure, the rotor and stator of the axial flux motor are usually arranged in parallel discs, which makes the motor flat as a whole, thus saving space; while the radial flux motor has the rotor installed inside the stator and the stator wrapped around the rotor.
The magnetic flux direction of the axial flux motor is axial, that is, the magnetic field lines start from one magnetic pole of the stator, pass through the rotor, and then reach the other magnetic pole of the stator to form a closed loop.
02 The main reason why the axial flux motor has not been mass-produced:
Although the axial flux motor has many potentials, it has not been mass-produced.
First, the heat dissipation problem is a major challenge. Compared with the mature radial motor, when the axial motor is running, the stator teeth not only carry the magnetic flux path, but also generate a lot of heat. If the heat dissipation effect is not good, it may cause the insulation performance of the stator material to deteriorate, thereby affecting the reliability of the motor.
Second, the magnetic field distribution of the axial motor is relatively complex, and it is easy to generate magnetic field harmonics. This requires the use of special designs and materials to achieve a balance in the magnetic field distribution, which increases the difficulty of research and development and production.
Third, the axial motor has extremely high requirements for the uniformity of the air gap between the rotor and the stator, and puts forward strict requirements on the manufacturing accuracy and assembly accuracy of the components. This leads to a significant increase in the manufacturing cost of the axial motor compared to the radial motor.
Fourth, due to the complex magnetic field distribution of the axial motor, the development of its control strategy and algorithm also faces many difficulties. In terms of reliability and safety, the axial motor has yet to be verified compared with the mainstream radial motor.
03 Advantages of axial flux motor
However, despite the many challenges, axial flux motors still have many advantages.
It is small in size and light in weight. The axial length is only about half of that of the radial motor. It is smaller in size and weight, and the material cost may be lower. In the production process, the amount of materials such as copper and iron is also relatively low.
In terms of performance, the high torque density and power density of axial motors are about 30% higher than those of radial motors of the same specification.
In terms of energy consumption, the efficiency of axial motors is usually more than 96%, and energy consumption can be reduced by about 15%-20% at different power levels.
04 Axial flux motor technology
Most motors are some variant of radial flux motors, which use iron core stators and windings to generate a rotating magnetic field to move the rotor inside the stator. Iron helps to concentrate and increase the strength of the magnetic field, but it is heavy and adds a lot of weight to the motor. In an axial flux motor, the rotor disk is located next to the stator, and axial magnetic forces (forces parallel to the axis of rotation) induce motion in the rotor. Axial flux motors typically have a high torque-to-weight ratio, which makes them well suited for transportation applications such as electric vehicles and even aviation.
NIDE Group can provide customers with optimized motor manufacturing solutions according to customer needs, reduce the failure rate of motors, and improve the market competitiveness of motor manufacturers.
We have provided customers with a variety of motor automation manufacturing solutions, including axial flux motor manufacturing line, alternator motor automatic production line, hairpin motor stator and rotor assembly line, oil pumps motor stator production line, single-phase motor winding machine, stator wire binding machine, stator shaping machine, motor rotor production line, rotor shafting machine, rotor winding machine, etc. to meet customers' high-efficiency and low-manpower motor manufacturing needs.