Metal injection molding multiple dissimilar materials to form composite electric machine rotor and rotor sense parts
First Claim
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1. A method for injection molding composite rotor components, the method comprising:
- injecting a ferromagnetic powder material from a first injection unit under heat and pressure into a first mold cavity, and allowing the ferromagnetic material to solidify;
injecting a non-ferromagnetic powder material from a second injection unit under heat and pressure into a second mold cavity adjacent the ferromagnetic material, and allowing the non-ferromagnetic material to solidify to thereby produce a composite injection molded rotor component.
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Abstract
A method for forming composite motor parts of two or more dissimilar materials by injection molding. Two or more different powder materials are injected under heat and pressure into cavities of a cylindrical-shaped mold and allowed to solidify to form a composite green compact. The final part may be used in machines of the type including permanent magnet, synchronous reluctance, switch reluctance and induction machines.
30 Citations
98 Claims
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1. A method for injection molding composite rotor components, the method comprising:
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injecting a ferromagnetic powder material from a first injection unit under heat and pressure into a first mold cavity, and allowing the ferromagnetic material to solidify;
injecting a non-ferromagnetic powder material from a second injection unit under heat and pressure into a second mold cavity adjacent the ferromagnetic material, and allowing the non-ferromagnetic material to solidify to thereby produce a composite injection molded rotor component. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for injection molding composite rotor components, comprising the steps of:
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preparing at least two different feedstocks, each feedstock comprising a mixture of a powder material and a binder, the powder materials being selected from the group consisting of hard ferromagnetic, soft ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic;
feeding each feedstock to a respective injection unit;
melting the feedstocks; and
molding the feedstocks into a composite compact of desired shape comprising at least two different materials by injecting melted feedstock from each injection unit under heat and pressure into a respective portion of a mold, and allowing the feedstocks to solidify. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A method of making a powder metal rotor component for a surface permanent magnet machine, the method comprising:
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injecting a soft ferromagnetic powder metal from a first injection unit under heat and pressure into an inner annular region of a cylinder-shaped mold;
injecting a non-ferromagnetic powder metal from a second injection unit under heat and pressure into discrete regions within an outer annular region of the mold so as to leave spaces between each discrete region;
injecting a hard ferromagnetic powder metal from a third injection unit under heat and pressure into the spaces between the discrete regions of the outer annular region of the mold to provide an arrangement of alternating polarity permanent magnets; and
allowing the powder metals to solidify to thereby form a composite powder metal component having an inner annular magnetically conducting segment and an outer annular segment of a plurality of alternating polarity permanent magnets separated by magnetically non-conducting segments. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A method of making a powder metal rotor component for a circumferential type interior permanent magnet machine, the method comprising:
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injecting a soft ferromagnetic powder metal from a first injection unit under heat and pressure into an inner annular region of a cylinder-shaped mold;
injecting a non-ferromagnetic powder metal from a second injection unit under heat and pressure into discrete first regions within an outer annular region of the mold so as to leave spaces between each discrete first region;
injecting the soft ferromagnetic powder metal from the first injection unit under heat and pressure into discrete second regions between the first regions so as to leave a radially inner circumferentially extending space and optionally leaving a radially extending space through each discrete second region;
optionally injecting the non-ferromagnetic powder metal from the second injection unit under heat and pressure into the radially extending spaces;
injecting a hard ferromagnetic powder metal from a third injection unit under heat and pressure into the radially inner circumferentially extending spaces between the discrete first regions of the outer annular region of the mold to provide an arrangement of alternating polarity permanent magnets; and
allowing the powder metals to solidify to thereby form a composite powder metal component having an inner magnetically conducting segment and an outer permanent magnet segment of a plurality of alternating polarity permanent magnets separated by magnetically non-conducting barrier segments and radially embedded by magnetically conducting segments with optional intermediate magnetically non-conducting bridge segments. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. A method of making a powder metal rotor component for a spoke type interior permanent magnet machine, the method comprising:
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injecting a non-ferromagnetic powder metal from a first injection unit under heat and pressure into an inner annular region of a cylinder-shaped mold;
injecting a soft ferromagnetic powder metal from a second injection unit under heat and pressure into discrete first regions within an outer annular region of the mold so as to leave spaces between each discrete first region;
injecting the non-ferromagnetic powder metal from the first injection unit under heat and pressure into discrete radially outer second regions between the first regions so as to leave a radially inner radially extending space between each of the adjacent first regions;
injecting a hard ferromagnetic powder metal from a third injection unit under heat and pressure into the radially extending spaces between the discrete first regions of the outer annular region of the mold to provide an arrangement of alternating polarity permanent magnets; and
allowing the powder metals to solidify to thereby form a composite powder metal component having an inner annular magnetically non-conducting segment and an outer annular segment of a plurality of alternating polarity permanent magnets separated by magnetically conducting segments and embedded by magnetically non-conducting segments. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
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68. A method of making a powder metal rotor component for an induction machine, the method comprising:
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injecting a soft ferromagnetic powder metal from a first injection unit under heat and pressure into a first region of a cylinder-shaped mold to form a pattern of a plurality of equally spaced axially extending slots adjacent an exterior circumferential surface of the cylinder-shaped mold;
injecting a non-ferromagnetic powder metal from a second injection unit under heat and pressure into a plurality of discrete second regions of the mold in a radially outer portion of each slot adjacent the exterior circumferential surface, thereby forming closed slot openings; and
allowing the powder metals to solidify to thereby form a composite powder metal component having a magnetically conducting segment and a plurality of magnetically non-conducting segments enclosing slot openings. - View Dependent Claims (69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75)
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76. A method of making a powder metal rotor component for a synchronous reluctance machine, the method comprising:
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injecting a soft ferromagnetic powder metal from a first injection unit under heat and pressure into one or more discrete first regions in a cylinder-shaped mold;
injecting a non-ferromagnetic powder metal from a second injection unit under heat and pressure into one or more discrete second regions in the mold, the discrete second regions in alternating relation with the discrete first regions; and
allowing the powder metals to solidify to thereby form a composite powder metal component having one or more magnetically conducting segments and one or more magnetically non-conducting segments. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83)
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84. A method of making a powder metal rotor component for a switched reluctance machine, the method comprising:
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injecting a soft ferromagnetic powder metal from a first injection unit under heat and pressure into a first region in a cylinder-shaped mold, the first region having a yoke and teeth configuration;
injecting a non-ferromagnetic powder metal from a second injection unit under heat and pressure into discrete second regions in the mold, the discrete second regions positioned between the teeth of the first region; and
allowing the powder metals to solidify to thereby form a composite powder metal component having a magnetically conducting segment and a plurality of magnetically non-conducting segments. - View Dependent Claims (85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91)
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92. A method of making a powder metal rotor sense ring, the method comprising:
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injecting a powder filler material from a first injection unit under heat and pressure into an inner annular region of a cylinder-shaped mold;
injecting a non-ferromagnetic powder metal from a second injection unit under heat and pressure into discrete regions within an outer annular region of the mold so as to leave spaces between each discrete region;
injecting a hard ferromagnetic powder metal from a third injection unit under heat and pressure into the spaces between the discrete regions of the outer annular region of the mold to provide an arrangement of alternating polarity permanent magnets; and
allowing the powders to solidify to thereby form a composite powder metal component having an inner annular filler segment and an outer annular segment of a plurality of alternating polarity permanent magnets separated by magnetically non-conducting segments. - View Dependent Claims (93, 94, 95, 96, 97)
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98. A composite injection molded rotor component for a rotor assembly comprising a first region of an injection molded soft ferromagnetic powder metal, a second region of an injection molded non-ferromagnetic powder metal, and optionally a third region of an injection molded hard ferromagnetic powder metal.
Specification