European Researchers Develop Cobalt-Free Alloy for 3D-Printed Electric Motor Components

A consortium of European research institutions working under the AM2SoftMag project has synthesized a new iron-based metallic glass alloy engineered for additive manufacturing, targeting efficiency improvements in electric motor design.

Formulated by researchers at Germany's Saarland University, the metallic glass eliminates dependence on cobalt and rare earth elements—materials characterized by ethical concerns and volatile supply chains. The formulation instead relies on a mix of iron, silicon, boron, niobium, and nickel, as first reported by TechXplore following publication of the findings in the journal Acta Materialia.

Iron-derived metallic glasses are recognized for their soft magnetic performance, which helps mitigate both magnetic losses and eddy currents that cause unwanted thermal dissipation in power electronics. However, adopting these alloys for Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) 3D printing has historically been hindered by thermal cycling during the build process, which routinely triggers premature crystallization and degrades magnetic properties.

The newly developed composition demonstrates high resistance to devitrification, maintaining a non-crystalline structure at thicknesses up to 1 millimeter—nearly ten times the threshold achieved by current commercial equivalents. By combining a dual-laser scanning sequence with precise inter-pass time delays, the team printed components reaching structural densities above 92 percent while achieving a magnetic coercivity of 44 amperes per meter.

Optimization of the LPBF printing parameters was conducted by the Sustainable Metallurgy Group at IMDEA Materials, overseen by principal investigator María Teresa Pérez Prado. Using atom probe tomography, electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, the research team verified that the elemental structure remained completely randomized, providing uniform mechanical and magnetic characteristics throughout the printed mass.

"This new alloy design and its optimized processing through 3D printing allow us to avoid crystallization during manufacturing," said Pérez Prado in a statement regarding the publication. "The result is a material with excellent magnetic behavior that could, in the future, make a significant contribution to improving the efficiency of electric motors, substantially reducing overall energy waste."

The ongoing collaborative project—which unites Saarland University, IMDEA Materials, Technische Universität Berlin, and the Italian National Metrology Institute—is now focused on resolving microscopic structural defects, scaling production throughput, and integration testing inside physical stator and rotor prototypes for next-generation electric drivetrains.