Bunting’s Magnetic Technology at ICEM 2024

Attendees of the 2024 International Conference on Electrical Machines (ICEM) will have the opportunity to discuss magnetising equipment and bespoke magnet assemblies with Bunting’s technical team. 

The biennial ICEM 2024 (September 1-4, Torino, Italy) is the only major international conference entirely devoted to electrical machines.  This year’s conference will be held at the Politecnico di Torino and includes a programme of technical presentations covering a wide range of topics including magnet applications.

Bunting’s design team work with companies in the automotive, aerospace and electronics sectors developing magnetic solutions.  Recent projects include the design and build of an industrial magnetiser for the electric Transit van under development by the Ford Motor Company.  With this specialist magnetiser, Ford engineers are maximising the magnetic properties of a magnet assembly used in the motor of the electric vehicle.

The extent of Bunting’s magnetic expertise also includes the design and build of complex and bespoke magnet assemblies.  Indeed, Bunting is the only global company with a portfolio that includes magnets, magnet assemblies, and magnetising equipment.

The Bunting technical team advise on a diverse range of projects such as maximising the efficiency of permanent magnet motors, where electric motors use permanent magnets in addition to windings.  Such motor designs are more efficient than induction motors or motors with field windings for certain high-efficiency applications such as electric vehicles and small electric motors such as found on drones and in car windshield wipers.

The extent of Bunting’s expertise extends to the mechanical assembly and construction of a magnet assembly as well as the magnetic properties.  The development of carbon fibre containment for high-speed magnet rotors, as used in motors, generators and alternators, has improved safety and performance.

Bunting’s product portfolio also includes an extensive range of Soft Magnetics.  These are magnetic materials that can be easily magnetised and demagnetised and their primary use is to enhance and/or channel the flux produced by an electric current.  Soft magnetic materials are essential components of many modern electronic and electrical devices, playing a vital role in the generation, transmission, conversion, and storage of electrical energy.

“There is a strong synergy between magnetic and electronical engineering,” explained Matthew Swallow, Bunting’s Technical Product Manager.  “Our engineering team work with companies to find the optimum performance of a magnet or magnet assembly within an electric machine.  This stretches from identifying the best magnet material, through magnet assembly design and construction, to the best method of magnetisation.  Our team is unique in being able to support each stage of that process.”