Multi-functional, multi-material magnetic components and structures for electrification

Project Information

MultiMag

Grant agreement ID: 101091392

DOI

10.3030/101091392

Project closed

EC signature date 14 November 2022

Start date 1 December 2022

End date 30 November 2025

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 4 645 765,50

EU contribution

€ 4 645 765,50

Coordinated by

TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY
Finland

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MultiMag (Multi-functional, multi-material magnetic components and structures for electrification)

Reporting period: 2024-06-01 to 2025-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Electrification of transport, industry and energy systems is a cornerstone of the European Green Deal and essential for achieving climate neutrality, industrial competitiveness, and strategic autonomy. At the same time, Europe faces strong dependencies on critical raw materials, particularly rare earth elements used in permanent magnets for electric motors. Conventional manufacturing routes for magnetic components are often material intensive, inflexible, and poorly suited to recycling, limiting both sustainability and innovation.
The MultiMag project addressed these challenges by developing a new approach to multi functional, multi material magnetic components and structures, enabled by multi material additive manufacturing (MM AM). Instead of designing motors and magnetic systems as assemblies of single material parts, MultiMag explored how magnetic, structural and insulating functions can be integrated into compact, optimized components. This approach opens new design freedoms, allowing material to be placed only where it delivers functional value.
The overall objective of the project was to establish a holistic pathway covering design, materials, manufacturing, validation and end of life processing of advanced magnetic components for electrification. The project explicitly targeted improvements in:
• performance and energy efficiency of electric machines,
• reduction of magnet mass and use of critical raw materials,
• lightweighting and compact system design,
• faster development and manufacturing lead times,
• recyclability and circular use of rare earth elements.
Three representative industrial use cases were addressed, covering general purpose motors, electric vehicle drives and aerospace relevant electric machines. Through these use cases, the project demonstrated how MM AM can contribute to EU priorities such as clean mobility, energy efficiency, and resilient value chains.
By the end of the project, MultiMag delivered validated design frameworks, printable magnetic and structural materials, manufacturing routes and industrially relevant demonstrators. The results show that MM AM can enable up to 50 % reduction in permanent magnet mass, around 20–30 % reduction in active motor mass, and loss reductions up to one third in selected applications, while supporting high recycling rates for rare earth elements.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

MultiMag carried out integrated scientific and technical work across the full value chain, from modelling and materials to manufacturing, demonstrators and recyclability.
A multi domain design and optimisation framework was developed that links electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical and manufacturing considerations. This framework allows engineers to systematically exploit the design freedoms offered by MM AM and was validated across the three industrial use cases. It enabled faster optimisation cycles and data driven comparison of alternative motor concepts.
On the materials side, the project advanced the state of printable magnetic and functional materials. Novel hard magnet and soft magnet powders were developed and successfully processed by laser based powder bed fusion, binder jetting and sheet lamination. After suitable post processing, several materials reached properties close to established industrial benchmarks. In parallel, electrically insulating ceramic mid layers and lightweight structural alloys were developed to enable functional integration of magnetic, insulating and load bearing features within single components. MultiMag further demonstrated and characterised multi material interfaces, a key challenge for additive manufacturing. Robust interfaces between dissimilar magnetic, ceramic and structural materials were achieved using tailored process parameters and post processing strategies.
The developed technologies were validated through use case driven demonstrators. For electric machine applications, the demonstrators confirmed significant reductions in losses, improvements in torque and power density, and substantial material savings compared to conventional designs. In addition, mechanical robustness and functional integration were validated for components suitable for low volume and customised production.
Finally, the project developed and demonstrated recycling routes for multi material magnetic components, including recovery of rare earth elements from end of life magnets and their reuse in new printable magnet powders. Overall rare earth recyclability rates of approximately 86–89 % were achieved, exceeding project targets and confirming the feasibility of circular material loops.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

MultiMag delivers results that go beyond the current state of the art in both magnetic component design and manufacturing. By combining multi material design with additive manufacturing, the project showed that electric motors can be designed around functionality rather than manufacturing constraints, enabling levels of lightweighting and material efficiency that are not achievable with conventional technologies.
Key advances include:
• validated multi material magnetic architectures with significantly reduced permanent magnet content,
• printable magnetic materials suitable for functional integration,
• demonstrator level proof of reduced losses, higher efficiency and improved power density,
• closed loop recycling routes for rare earth magnets compatible with additive manufacturing.
The results indicate strong potential for uptake in applications where performance, weight, sustainability or customisation are critical, such as electric mobility, aerospace and advanced industrial drives.
Further uptake will benefit from continued industrial scale up, extended lifetime testing, and integration into established design and certification workflows. Access to pilot scale manufacturing, standardised design data for additively manufactured magnetic materials, and continued support for demonstration and market introduction will be key enablers. The project results also highlight the importance of aligning materials development, manufacturing processes and recycling strategies early in the design phase to maximise impact.