3-D Printing-Based Design of Axial Flux Magnetic Gear for High Torque Density

This paper investigates a novel design of the axial flux-type magnetic gears that adopts L-type ferromagnetic pole pieces and spoke-type ferrite magnet arrangement. This design not only decreases flux leakage but also improves torque density. 3-D finite element analysis is employed to compute the magnetic and torque characteristics of the 3-D design. Moreover, a newly developed 3-D printing process is introduced to overcome the fabrication difficulty and expedite the manufacturing process. A prototype of this novel magnetic gear design approach is given to verify the simulation result and the feasibility of the proposed 3-D printing approach.