• Researchers develop metallic glass components using laser-based 3D printing
• Potential efficiency gains of up to 5 percent could significantly reduce energy losses
• Cobalt-free alloys and advanced manufacturing improve supply resilience and performance

Metallic Glass Might Help Make More Efficient Electric Motors

Electric motors are, honestly, some of the quietest and most crucial technologies we rely on daily. They power appliances in our homes, run various industrial machines, operate factory systems, keep transportation moving and fuel battery-powered tools, among many other things that influence our economy and way of life. Even though they often go unnoticed, their total electricity consumption is staggering.

As noted by the European Commission, electric motors make up roughly half of the world's electricity use. That number basically explains why tiny improvements in motor efficiency can have a big impact, lower energy bills, less industrial cost and fewer emissions. When a motor uses less electricity but still does its job just as well, that saving adds up across millions of devices and machines.

The EU is already pushing regulations to encourage better motor tech. Under their Ecodesign standards, efficiency gains in motors could save about 106TWh of electricity every year, that’s roughly the amount used annually by the Netherlands. These measures could also cut electricity bills by around €20 billion each year.

These figures really put electric motors front and center in the bigger conversation about electrification. It is not just about swapping out combustion engines for electric ones or ramping up renewable energy. It is also about how efficiently electricity gets turned into movement. Motors are the key components that do that job, which makes their materials, design, manufacturing processes and supply chains especially critical now.

Researchers Think Outside the Traditional Material Box

That challenge has spurred European researchers to explore alternatives beyond conventional motor materials. The research featured in Horizon, the EU’s magazine on research and innovation, focuses on metallic glass, a material with an atomic structure that’s pretty different from regular metals.

Most metals form a crystalline structure as they cool down, the atoms settle into this ordered, repeating pattern. Metallic glass, however, does not form that typical crystal arrangement. Its atoms stay in a more disordered state, like a frozen chaos. This structural difference affects how magnetic fields pass through the material, and it might help cut down energy loss as heat.

This whole effort is led by Professor Ralf Busch from Saarland University, who directed the AM2SoftMag project. His team has dedicated years to studying how metallic glass and similar advanced materials might be used in electric motors. But they are interested in more than just creating a new alloy in a lab. It is about figuring out whether this material can be turned into usable parts that work reliably in actual motor applications.

This is big deal for electronics and engineering sectors. Sometimes, a material may look great in a controlled experiment, yet still prove tricky to shape, process or incorporate into real-world products. For manufacturers, the real value depends not just on how a material performs in tests but also whether suppliers can produce it consistently, whether factories can process it and whether the final parts meet the demands of actual equipment.

Additive Manufacturing Is Key to Overcoming a Major Challenge

One of the biggest hurdles wasn’t inventing the alloy but actually making usable motor parts out of it. Traditional processing methods can mess with the internal structure of materials. For metallic glass, in particular, maintaining its glass-like arrangement is critical because that structure is what influences its magnetic properties.

According to Horizon, Dr. María Teresa Pérez Prado and her team at IMDEA Materials Institute in Madrid used laser-based additive manufacturing, basically, 3D printing with a laser, to produce components. This method allowed them to make parts without destroying the glass-like internal structure.

Additive manufacturing like this matters because it offers a different way to build complex parts. Instead of relying solely on standard forming methods, the material can be added layer by layer through a controlled process. And this was not just about making a physical piece; it was about preserving the internal structure that makes metallic glass potentially so advantageous.

Saarland University highlighted that their work shows it is possible to produce fully glass-like metallic parts for electric motors. This could be a game-changer, moving the technology beyond just lab experiments and closer to real engineering applications. Now, it does not mean metallic-glass motors are available off-the-shelf just yet, but it is a vital step toward resolving the manufacturing challenge.

For companies involved in electronics, industrial gear or sourcing parts, this kind of development could be impactful. When researchers prove they can make components using a repeatable and scalable process, that material becomes more relevant commercially. Connecting research with actual production is often what decides whether an innovation makes it into the supply chain.

Why Do Magnetic Losses Matter So Much?

The technical charm of metallic glass comes from how it responds to magnetic fields changing rapidly. Electric motors rely on this kind of changing magnetic direction to generate motion. Normally, traditional magnetic materials resist these quick changes, which causes energy losses, most of that shows up as heat.

That wasted energy drags down the motor’s overall efficiency. It can hike up operating costs and also put extra strain on cooling systems and nearby equipment. For motors running constantly, even a small reduction in losses can add up in a big way.

Metallic glass is being developed to cut these losses. The researchers told Horizon that even a 1 percent boost in efficiency could be a difference-maker when scaled up. They also think improvements of up to 5 percent are possible in some cases. Of course, these are potential gains, not guaranteed for every motor type, but they give a good idea of why this material has gained so much attention.

The benefits could stretch across a wide range of applications, think electric cars, drones and battery-powered tools. More efficient motors mean longer range or less battery power needed. For vehicles, drones or portable tools, reducing energy lost as heat means more energy is available for actual work.

The same logic applies to stationary machinery too. Motors in factories and production lines often run for long stretches, so even incremental efficiency improvements can lessen energy costs over time. This is a big part of why manufacturers and policymakers are still so focused on motor innovation.

Tackling Material and Supply Chain Risks

There is also a supply chain piece to consider. The alloys developed by Professor Busch’s team are cobalt-free, for example, which helps reduce reliance on a critical raw material that is often expensive and tricky to source.

Why does this matter? Well, raw material availability is increasingly important when planning future technology. It is not just about how well a component performs, but whether its materials can be sourced reliably and affordable. Fluctuations in raw material markets can throw off production plans, affect procurement, logistics and, eventually, product pricing.

Plus, the researchers suggest that future motor designs with advanced soft magnetic materials could cut dependence on rare-earth elements used in many permanent magnets. Since most of those materials are heavily concentrated in China, reducing reliance on them could be a strategic move for companies and governments wanting stronger supply resilience.

Now, that does not mean these new materials will instantly replace all permanent magnets or totally eliminate supply issues, but they do expand options. Diversification in sourcing can be just as valuable as outright substitution, especially for complex supply chains.

For the motor industry, improvements in efficiency paired with material diversification might be even more important than performance gains alone. A component that consumes less electricity and relies on more resilient materials could be a key advantage, beyond what is just shown in lab tests.

Policy Context and Industrial Impact

Europe’s policies are also steering things in this direction. The European Commission links better motor efficiency with its larger electrification goals. Meanwhile, Eurostat data reveals that Europe’s industry still heavily depends on electricity and gas, highlighting just how complex the energy transition really is.

Moving forward, electrification is not just about cleaner energy generation; it’s also about equipment that uses power smartly and manufacturing systems capable of reliably producing that gear.

For everyone involved, from buyers and suppliers to manufacturers, the message is clear: better energy performance comes from improved components, improved materials and more advanced manufacturing methods. A motor might just be one part of a larger system, but its efficiency impacts the cost and sustainability of entire products and services.

The work with metallic glass exemplifies how these different priorities come together. Materials science is tackling magnetic losses, additive manufacturing is addressing how to make components, cobalt-free alloys help reduce sourcing risks, and potential efficiency gains benefit energy use in both mobile and stationary applications.

Even though this technology still needs to go from research labs to full-scale engineering and commercial applications, it shows that advanced materials will remain crucial for the future of electronics, manufacturing, transportation and energy management. As our world moves toward more electrification, being able to use every bit of electricity more effectively will become increasingly valuable.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is metallic glass? It’s a type of metal that does not take on the usual crystalline pattern as it cools. Instead, its atoms stay in a messy, disorderly arrangement, which affects how magnetic fields travel through it.

Why could metallic glass make electric motors better? Because it’s designed to cut down on the energy lost due to rapid magnetic shifts. Less loss means a more efficient motor and less heat wasted.

How are researchers actually making the parts? Dr. María Teresa Pérez Prado and her team at IMDEA Materials in Madrid used laser-based 3D printing, which helped them keep the internal structure intact during manufacturing.

What kind of efficiency improvements might be possible? They suggest that even a 1 percent efficiency boost could matter when scaled up, and some applications might see gains of up to 5 percent.

What kinds of devices could benefit? Electric cars, drones, battery-powered tools and industrial machinery, all depend on efficient motors.

And what about sourcing? The new alloys being developed are cobalt-free, which helps mitigate dependency on this critical, and sometimes hard-to-get, raw material. Plus, advanced soft magnetic materials might lessen reliance on rare earth magnets often sourced from China.

Disclaimer: This article may have been created with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team. It is provided for general informational purposes only. Readers should verify information independently before relying on this content.

Sources:

• - Paragraph 1: European Commission on Electric Motors, EU electricity use data
• - Paragraph 2: Golem.de article on metallic glass motors, Saarland University news
• - Paragraph 3: Same as above.
• - Paragraph 4: Same.
• - Paragraph 5: Same.
• - Paragraph 6: EU energy dependence data, Further context