Additive Manufacturing High Fault-Tolerant Axial Flux Variable Reluctance Resolver

This article aims to implement an axial flux variable reluctance (VR) resolver design with a 3-D unequal air gap rotor via the newly developed magnetic metal additive manufacturing method, also known as selective laser melting (SLM). Under the same eccentricity, the proposed axial flux VR possesses a smaller sensing angle error, having an improved eccentric fault tolerance higher than that of the radial type. Consequently, the proposed axial flux VR can greatly reduce the process precision requirement and benefit mass production. In this work, finite element analysis was utilized to simulate and verify the resolver. SLM technology was combined with oxygen control technology to reduce the eddy current loss of the resolver, which can quickly and accurately fabricate the 3-D parts of the resolver stator and rotor without mold-making. Finally, the experimental results with the axial flux VR resolver prototype are presented to verify the designed performance and compared it with the commercial radial flux VR resolver.