Magnetic alignment and electron beam post-curing of NdFeB materials via lithography-based composite manufacturing

The demand for compact, high-performance magnetic components requires additive manufacturing techniques that control both geometry and magnetic anisotropy. This study introduces a lithography-based composite manufacturing (LCM) system that integrates in-situ magnetic particle alignment with electron beam post-curing (EBPC). Guided by magnetic-field simulations, a dual NdFeB magnet module enabled uniform directional alignment of anisotropic NdFeB particles during layer-wise photopolymerisation of 60–80 wt.% (18.0–37.0 vol.%) slurries. Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirmed chain-like particle arrangements and pronounced anisotropy. Field-assisted printing substantially increased remanence and coercivity, while EBPC further raised squareness and stabilised hysteresis loops by immobilising aligned particles within a densely crosslinked matrix. Beyond removing UV-curing limitations in highly filled systems, EBPC drastically increased gel fraction and, at an optimal 100 kGy dose, boosted flexural strength and modulus by more than fivefold, with additional gains in impact resistance. The combined LCM – EBPC strategy establishes a robust route to durable, anisotropic magnetic architectures with high shape fidelity. More broadly, it provides a generalisable solution to curing and alignment challenges in high-solid-content photopolymer additive manufacturing, enabling scalable fabrication of functional composites where microstructural alignment and mechanical integrity must be simultaneously achieved.