Motor Laminations
For over three decades Laser Technologies Inc. has provided a unique and fresh approach for the way we provide motor lamination services to businesses in the motor core industry. Laser Technologies is a fully integrated manufacturer of standard and custom electric motor laminations and rotor and stator laminations. Our services are flexible and customized for your needs, which has made us a leading supplier of motor laminations for the automotive, industrial, aerospace and electrical industries.
What Are Laminations In An Electric Motor?
Motor laminations make up the core of an electric motor's stator and rotor. They are comprised of a stack of thin metal sheets which are either welded or bonded together. The laminations can also be coated. The reason a motor's core is made from from thin pieces of metal instead of one solid piece is to eliminate losses from eddy currents which creates excessive heat as well as electrical and magnetic inefficiencies.
Motor laminations for larger electric motors can be made from a variety of material compositions including cobalt-iron alloys, nickel alloys, silicon steel or thin-gauge electrical steel. The larger size motor often requires the utilization of segmenting motor laminations when manufacturing. This is done to reduce material waste when manufacturing. Electrical steel coils are also limited to 48" width. Due to its greater size, specialized equipment and expertise are required for manufacturing large electric motor laminations.
Precision is necessary throughout the process of laser cutting or stamping metal sheets into laminations, coating them and bonding or welding them together to form the core of the motor. Our motor laminations are used in a wide range of applications including industrial, power generation, manufacturing, aerospace and transportation. These laminations serve an essential purpose by powering heavy machinery with superior efficiency.
Services
Our passion, wide range of capabilities, and fully integrated service allows us to fulfill your company's individual electric motor lamination needs. We handle both high and low volume applications, and our custom manufacturing and assembly solutions cover all your motor lamination needs - from reverse engineering to final production.
Our motor lamination services go by different names, which include:
Motor Lamination Bonding
In commercial applications, most motor laminations are welded together down the side of the stator or rotor stack for structural integrity. The result is usually achieved by MIG welding, TIG welding, or laser welding. One potential issue with this method is that the weld itself becomes a source of inter-laminar cross-circuit shorting resulting in eddy current loss and increased heat. For high efficiency electric motor applications, a better process is required for holding the motor laminations together to eliminate as much eddy current loss as possible.
A better alternative to welding the stack is to bond the motor laminations. Bonding reduces both inter-laminar loss and corrosion. Plus it also results in improved thermal conductivity, reduced hum noise and potentially greater resistance to higher temperatures.
Bonding motor laminations is fairly straightforward. After laminations are stamped or laser cut, bonding adhesive is applied via a roll coating or dip tank process then cured to a class B stage. Once motor laminations have cooled and are able to be handled, they are stacked into custom fixtures that are compressed. The stacked fixtures go back into a furnace and are heated again for a specific period of time until the bonding agent reaches its final Class C stage for maximum strength.
Motor Lamination Core Assembly
We offer turnkey motor lamination assembly services for stator cores, rotors, armatures, and pole lamination assemblies. We can reverse engineer and manufacture stator laminations, rotor laminations, armature laminations, lamination end plates, finger plates, vent assemblies, and pressure plate rings. Finished stator cores, armatures, and rotors can be shipped to your facility ready to be wound.
From reverse engineering to final production, Laser Technologies custom tailors manufacturing and assembly solutions for your company's specific assembly requirements.
Laser Cutting vs. Stamping Motor Laminations
There are two main methods of manufacturing motor laminations - laser cutting and stamping. Let's compare the advantages and disadvantages of each. Laser cutting is typically faster and more cost-effective for smaller quantity production runs as well as for making prototypes. It also offers the flexibility to change designs without the added cost of retooling.
However, laser cutting has a slower per piece production rate Stamping, on the other hand, has an advantage of holding tight tolerances, but it also requires an upfront investment in tooling which typically delays production. Stamping can produce products faster, resulting in a lower per-piece cost, but is less conducive to handling different materials with the same die.
The choice between laser cutting and stamping motor laminations depends on factors such as volume, ROI, tolerances, complexity, and lead time requirements. Laser Technologies offers both approaches and can help determine the best approach for your unique application.
