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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Bytram:

Super magnets from a 3-D printer:

Magnetic materials are an important component of mechatronic devices such as wind power stations, electric motors, sensors and magnetic switch systems. Magnets are usually produced using rare earths and conventional manufacturing methods. A team of researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) has worked together with researchers from the Graz University of Technology, the University of Vienna and the research institution Joanneum Research to produce specially designed magnets using a 3-D printer. The results were published in the journal Materials.

[...] The research team, involving Prof. Dr. Jörg Franke from the Institute for Factory Automation and Production Systems at FAU, has now succeeded in creating super magnets using laser-based 3-D printing. Metallic powder of the magnetic material is added layer by layer and the particles are joined by melting. The process allows magnets to be printed with a relatively high density at the same time as controlling their microstructure. This allows researchers to tailor the magnetic properties to suit the required application exactly.

Influence of Melt-Pool Stability in 3D Printing of NdFeB Magnets on Density and Magnetic Properties, Materials (DOI: 10.3390/ma13010139)

Also at: phys.org.

Original Submission