Composite inserts for a rotor lamination

An electric machine comprising:

• a housing;
• a stator mounted to the housing;
• and
• a rotor rotatably mounted in the housing and surrounded by the stator, the rotor being formed from a plurality of rotor laminations, each of the plurality of rotor laminations comprising:
• a body including an axial surface, a central opening, and an outer annular edge defining a radius, a plurality of magnet receiving openings are formed in the body, each of the plurality of magnet receiving openings including a first magnet receiving portion and a second magnet receiving portion;
• and
• a composite insert mounted in the body, the composite insert extending along the radius and across the magnet receiving opening physically separating the first magnet receiving portion from the second magnet receiving portion.

A method of forming a rotor for an electric machine comprising:

• installing a composite insert into each of a plurality of magnet receiving openings formed in a body of a rotor lamination, the composite insert extending along a radius of the body;
• aligning a plurality of rotor laminations;
• and
• compressing the plurality of rotor laminations causing each composite insert to lock into the body.