Internally Cooled Magnetic Cores

Technology Assessment and Transfer Inc. (TA&T) proposes fabricating high power magnetic cores with integrated fluidic cooling channels to meet the requirements of emerging inductors and transformers for power electronics applications. TA&T has developed processes for fabricating monolithic ceramic components with complex geometry, including internal cavities and channels that cannot be fabricated using conventional processing techniques. This capability will be applied to the fabrication of ferrite cores with internal cooling channels for improved heat dissipation. Two novel fabrication approaches will be evaluated in Phase I. The first is known as ceramic stereolithography (CSL), and is an automated, layered manufacturing process that enables net shape, monolithic ceramics with complex geometry. The second approach, called gel casting, is a thermally cured net shape molding process that utilizes sacrificial structure to form the internal geometry.