Copper injection molding of complex components
Copper injection molding for the next generation of electric drives: The development of new technologies is one of Additive Drives’ specialties. The development of an injection moulding process for copper parts combines the best of two worlds: specialized design and mass production.
Injection molding is an established and efficient technology for mass production. Additive Drives has adopted this process for the injection molding of pure copper. It is suitable for the production of both simple and highly complex copper components in high quantities of up to several tens of millions per year or more.
A value of 100 % IACS corresponds to a conductivity of 58 MS/m at a temperature of 20 °C. After injection molding, the processed copper achieves a conductivity of up to 101 %. Other physical properties such as density or thermal conductivity are very close to those of conventionally drawn copper.
For designers of electrical machines, the new process enables innovative design approaches such as
- Function integration
- Volume minimization
- the avoidance of thermal hotspots.
Initial studies show that the copper mass can be reduced by at least 40 % compared to conventional designs. This enables more compact electric motor solutions and cost savings. In addition, functional elements such as press-fit nuts, special connectors and temperature sensors can be easily integrated to reduce overall manufacturing costs.
Additive Drives offers circuit assemblies with printed, conventional or injection-molded components (copper and plastic).