This year marked the eleventh time the “Magnetic Bearing Technology” workshop was held. In early September, experts from the Technical Universities of Chemnitz and Dresden, the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, and various companies gathered at Chemnitz University of Technology to present the latest results of their work in the field, exchange experiences, and discuss new projects. The focus was on high-temperature applications as well as solutions for increasing the efficiency of magnetic bearings.

Materials and new manufacturing technologies are playing an increasingly important role in this context. The first magnetic bearing coil produced using a 3D printer attracted a great deal of attention. The copper winding and ceramic insulation are produced in a single step by a 3D printer.

The workshop takes place every two years, alternating between HSZG and Chemnitz University of Technology. At the conclusion of this year’s workshop, Prof. Frank Worlitz extended an invitation to Zittau for 2019.

Background

The Magnetic Bearing Technology Workshop has a 23-year tradition. In 1994, the event was launched at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences by the then-new Institute for Process Engineering, Process Automation, and Measurement Technology (IPM). In the 2000s, it was held alternately with the University of Kassel and subsequently with Chemnitz University of Technology.

Prof. Worlitz’s research group at the IPM has been working on magnetic bearings for over 20 years, primarily for applications in the field of energy technology. With up to fourteen research staff members, the group has carried out countless projects from industry, as well as EU- and publicly funded projects, during this time. With three large-scale test facilities, the university’s institute boasts an experimental base that is unique worldwide.

Results of this work include, among others, the first magnetic-bearing coolant pump at the Boxberg power plant (in collaboration with Vattenfall) and the oil-free industrial steam turbine (in collaboration with SIEMENS), which has been in operation at the Jänschwalde power plant since April 2015.