#IamDAP: Carsten Putz

Carsten, you studied mechanical engineering at the RWTH. Did Additive Manufacturing already play a role at that time?

Unfortunately, Additive Manufacturing was only briefly covered during my bachelor’s degree program. However, during my bachelor’s thesis, I was able to utilize the potential of plastic 3D printing to directly implement and test concepts for tools in the production of copper wires for electric motors. In my master’s degree program, I had more freedom in choosing courses and actively selected the lecture “Additive Manufacturing I”. However, without self-initiative, there were limited opportunities to learn about AM.

So, you, like many others, were infected with the AM virus later on. How did you end up at our chair?

Exactly. My first real exposure was during an internship at Porsche where I focused on the calculation and simulation of electrified powertrains in functional development. However, colleagues from another department often discussed 3D-printed prototype components, which sparked my interest. I then acquired my own 3D printer and completed some DIY hobby projects and used it for my bachelor’s thesis. It was then clear to me that I wanted to dive deeper into the Additive Manufacturing world. That’s why I specifically searched for AM topics for my master’s thesis, including at DAP. When the HaPiPro² project emerged, it was the perfect opportunity for me to combine my two focus areas: electrified traction drives and Additive Manufacturing.

So your passion for cars reflect in your research. What exactly are you researching?

I am researching how design potentials and methods from Additive Manufacturing can be applied to the design of electric machines to make them more efficient and better. Since 2018, I have been researching the Hairpin technology, a specific type of copper winding. Hairpin electric machines are mainly used in electric cars, but they can also be used in flying taxis, tools like drills, robots, or rovers for exploration and settlement on Mars – practically any application that requires electric motors.