The findings demonstrate that the chemical composition and resulting MSM-related properties of the L-PBF-built Ni-Mn-Ga can be precisely changed in-situ by adjusting the applied L-PBF process parameters to control the selective evaporation of Mn. A repeatable and fully reversible magnetic-field-induced strain of 5.8% is demonstrated for a single crystalline grain of an L-PBF-built Ni-Mn-Ga.
Practically, the reported results will permit the exploration of polycrystalline-MSM-based devices with a geometric freedom that has thus far been impossible with conventional manufacturing methods.
The results suggest that additive manufacturing can facilitate miniaturization and simplification of electromechanical devices in which traditional mechanisms and piezoelectric materials are impractical.