Innovation in Manufacturing Technologies with Eco-Sustainable Magnetic Materials

In the field of permanent magnets, there is growing interest in additive manufacturing techniques and, in terms of materials, in recycling rare earth elements. In collaborative projects (Magneco CPP2023-010653, Llavor-0005) between the university and industry, permanent magnets have been synthesized using stereolithography or pellet extrusion. Additive manufacturing techniques favor the efficient creation of complex components, reducing costs and production times, improving quality, and allowing greater customization in diverse industries such as aerospace, the automotive industry, and renewable energy. In the industrial field, the creation/generation of optimized and sustainable designs for permanent magnets is expected, reducing dependence on rare earth elements and recycling obsolete materials, as well as new sustainable and scalable manufacturing processes. It is a project in development in which the optimization of processes and materials shows the need for interaction between academia and companies, requiring the complete characterization (morphological, compositional, chemical, mechanical, thermal, magnetic) of both materials and components. One of the problems to be avoided is the oxidation of recycled powder particles, which makes their reconditioning necessary. Regarding the components, the achievement of sufficient densification and magnetic response (saturation magnetization, coercivity) is necessary. The influence of the controlled application of an external magnetic field (assisted magnetic field and additive manufacturing) is also analyzed during the manufacturing process.