Motor laminations – also referred to as electrical laminations, stator laminations, rotor laminations, pole laminations and segmented stator laminations – are profiled from electrical steels, stacked then bonded to form the core of transformers, or the stator and rotor of electric motors.
Laminations are often profiled used stamping, laser cutting or wire EDM, all of which can induce residual stress which alters the magnetic permeability of electrical steels and burrs which can cause problems during winding.
As a non-contact, non-heat inducing machining process, photo etching does not alter the properties or magnetic permeability of electrical steels. This ensures burr- and stress-free laminations can be manufactured with zero distortion.
Accuracy
Photo etched laminations are extremely accurate and concentric, achieving tolerances to ±0.025mm over a diameter to 600mm.
Photo etching can be combined with wire EDM for even greater precision to ±0.005mm.
Prototype to volume – fast
Photo etching uses digital tooling, which means prototypes can be produced in hours, not months like expensive steel press tools.
As one of the world few producing etching specialists, Precision Micro can etch one-off loose lamination prototypes or stacks, to millions each month.
Stacking and bonding
Photo etching uses a specially developed dielectric resist to protect electrical steels during the etching process. By applying heat and pressure, the resist can be used to fuse together and insulate laminations – a technique we call R-Bond. This novel approach offers an economical alternative to conventional riveted or welded laminations.
Typical Applications
- Electrical laminations
- Stator laminations
- Rotor laminations
- Pole laminations
- Segmented stator laminations
Processes
Materials
- Electrical steels
- Silicon steel
- Nickel alloys
- Cobalt alloys
- Full material stock list
