Formerless Multi-Coil Superconducting Magnet Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for manufacturing formerless cylindrical superconducting magnets are complex, unreliable, and costly, often requiring expensive formers or external sleeves that increase the diameter and length of the coils, leading to higher wire costs and manufacturing complexities.
Innovation Solution
The use of an unstepped mandrel with parallel walls and a thin composite wrapper to precisely position and space coils, eliminating the need for expensive formers and reducing wire costs, while ensuring correct coil positioning and spacing through positively-located spacers and a tapered mandrel for easy extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If formers are used to manufacture cylindrical superconducting magnets, then coil size, shape, and position precision is improved, but the required diameter of the coils increases and wire cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the former from the magnet structure entirely, extracting the disturbing element that caused the contradiction. Instead of using a former to define the inner diameter, the invention uses spacers positioned on the outer surface of the coil to achieve the same dimensional control without the former occupying radial space. This eliminates the need for the former while maintaining manufacturing precision through alternative means (outer diameter control via spacers).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by controlling the inner diameter of the coil indirectly through control of the outer diameter. Rather than using a former to define the inner boundary, the invention defines the outer boundary precisely (using spacers and machining) and derives the inner diameter from that control. This inversion allows precision to be maintained while eliminating the radial space occupation of the former.
2Manufacturing precision
If formers are used to manufacture cylindrical superconducting magnets, then coil size, shape, and position precision is improved, but the overall length and mass of the magnet increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the former from the magnet structure, eliminating its mass contribution. The formerless design uses spacers and precision machining to achieve the same dimensional control without the heavy former structure, directly reducing the overall mass of the magnet while maintaining manufacturing precision.
3Strength
If externally machined sleeves are used to constrain coils, then coil constraint is improved, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the external sleeve from the magnet structure, extracting the element that provided mechanical constraint. Instead of using a separate sleeve component, the invention integrates constraint functionality into the coil structure itself through the formerless design with spacers, eliminating the need for expensive machined sleeves and their associated assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the constraint function with the coil structure by eliminating the separate sleeve component. The spacers and coil winding structure work together to provide both dimensional control and mechanical constraint in a unified design, rather than requiring a separate constrained assembly of coil plus sleeve.
4Adaptability or versatility
If serially bonded magnets with individual coils stacked and annular spacers are used, then assembly flexibility is improved, but manufacturing time increases and tolerances stack up
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple coil windings onto a single formerless structure with spacers, combining what would traditionally be separate assembled components into one integrated manufacturing process. This allows the magnet to be manufactured as a unified structure in a single production run, eliminating the time-consuming stacking and assembly of individually wound coils while maintaining the flexibility of the formerless design.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed with respect to the manufacture of formerless, multi-coil, cylindrical superconducting magnets, and a formerless, multi-coil, cylindrical superconducting magnet structure as may be formed by such techniques.