Direct Adhesive Technology for Arbitrary Conductors

168 Direct Adhesive Technology for Arbitrary Conductors--Advanced Magnet Laboratory, Inc., 2730 Kirby Avenue, NE, Unit #5, Palm Bay, FL 32905-3402; (407) 728-7543 Dr. Rainer D. Meinke, Principal Investigator Mr. Mark W. Senti, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-97ER82312 Amount: $74,839 The Direct Wire technology enables economic manufacturing of complex magnet coils by instantaneously bonding conductors while they are precisely positioned along the desired path by a computer-controlled multi-axis machine. The advantages of this technology are compromised by the necessity to have conductors pre-coated with special adhesives that enable the required instantaneous bonding. By applying advanced bonding agents during the winding process, arbitrary conductors without special pretreatment can be used in this automated coil assembly process. During Phase I of this project the developed concepts for direct adhesive application during the winding process will be implemented on an existing winding machine. The machine end effector responsible for positioning the conductor in this process will be redesigned accordingly. Two test coils with different geometry and conductor diameter will be built on the machine to prove the new winding technology and to optimize relevant process parameters. During Phase II an advanced superconducting magnet for imaging, for accelerators, or for energy storage would be built to demonstrate the advantages of the manufacturing process. The technology developed during Phase I is also directly applicable to the emerging high temperature superconductors, and we are currently discussing with partners in industry and at laboratories to use such a conductor for the Phase II project. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The project will provide more economic manufacturing technology for a large variety of normal and superconducting magnets in particular those with complex coil geometry. Several companies and laboratories have expressed great interest in this technology for superconducting propulsion systems, the next generation of imaging magnets, and various accelerator magnets.