Modular Stator Cooling Jacket With 3D-Printed Flow Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling devices for electric motor stators are costly and difficult to manufacture with complex groove shapes, and are not easily adaptable to different stator sizes, leading to increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device comprising three interconnected bodies, where the middle body is manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques, allowing for complex groove shapes and easy assembly, and is adaptable to various stator sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If chip removal machining is used to create grooves with complex shapes, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device is divided into three separate bodies (first body, second body, third body) that are interconnected. The grooves are formed in the second body through additive manufacturing, while the first and third bodies provide structural support and fluid distribution. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining groove precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional chip removal machining to additive manufacturing for creating the grooved surface. This parameter change in the manufacturing process enables complex groove shapes to be created directly during the additive manufacturing process without requiring complex tooling or multiple machining operations, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining or improving groove accuracy.
2Ease of manufacture
If pressing is used to create grooves in the cooling jacket, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the manufacturing method from mechanical pressing to additive manufacturing. This parameter change allows grooves to be formed as integral parts of the additive manufacturing process itself, achieving both cost reduction (avoiding complex tooling and multiple operations) and high precision (direct digital fabrication of complex geometries without tool wear or setup errors).
3Ease of manufacture
If a fixed cooling device design is used, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the adaptability to different stator sizes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device is designed with three modular bodies that can be configured to accommodate different stator sizes. The first body provides a mounting interface, the second body contains the grooved cooling channels, and the third body provides additional structural support and fluid distribution. This universal design allows the same basic configuration to be adapted to various stator dimensions while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through standardized production of the three body types.
Solution Approach 2:
By dividing the cooling device into three separate bodies, the invention enables modular assembly that can be adapted to different stator sizes. Each body can be independently manufactured and then assembled in different configurations to match various stator dimensions, providing versatility without requiring completely different designs for each application.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides cost-effective manufacturing with high accuracy and versatility in groove design, enabling easy adaptation to different stator sizes while maintaining cooling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the second body is manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques
Implementation Method 2
The grooves are provided for the circulation of a cooling fluid... to cool down the stator
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling device for a stator of an electric motor includes a first body having a first radially outer surface and a first radially inner surface extending about an axis so as to define a cavity adapted to axially receive the stator, and a second body distinct from the first body, fixed with respect to the first body, and having a tubular shape about said axis, so as to define a pair of further surfaces coaxial about said axis, one of which adheres in contact with a corresponding one of the first radially outer surface and the first radially inner surface, while the other has one or more grooves communicating so as to form a channel for a flow of fluid for cooling the stator, wherein the channel comprises at least one portion extending so as to guide the flow according to an axial advancing direction.