Posted to News on 2nd Aug 2007, 17:10
New sizes of electronically commutated micro motors
Ever responsive to designers' changing needs, maxon motor is adding three extra motors to its range of brushless (electronically commutated) DC micro drives. The new 10 and 13mm diameter units – the latter available in two different lengths to suit different shapes of equipment – expand customer choice within a crucial part of the size spectrum.
Keith Ellenden, CEO of maxon motor UK, explains: "The demand for EC (electronically commutated) micro motors is growing all the time – while the spaces in which designers want to fit them are becoming smaller. Our EC range already goes from 60mm right down to 6mm but, for many applications, the very smallest units are simply not powerful enough. At 10 and 13mm we can supply plenty of power without increasing the motor's dimensions too much."
The figures speak for themselves: maxon's EC 10 gives an output of 8W and reaches a maximum permissible speed of 80,000rpm; the short version of the EC 13 has an assigned power rating of 6W, while the longer one offers 12W, and both will deliver a maximum permissible speed of 50,000rpm.
To generate the highest possible torque in the tightest of spaces, maxon uses NdFeB magnetic material in the rotors. To maximise precision and load capacity, the motors feature preloaded ball bearings.
Benefits of EC micro motors
It is easy to see why more and more people are turning to the option of brushless motors, given their efficiency, power-to-weight ratios, high speeds and virtually unlimited, maintenance-free service life.
Each of maxon's EC motors can be ordered with or without Hall sensors. Their tried and tested flexprint connectors allow easy and secure connection to any of maxon's controllers, creating intelligent, highly dynamic systems for precise speed or positional control.
If lower speeds but higher torques are required, each motor can be combined with a choice of appropriate and totally compatible planetary maxon gearheads, using maxon's modular system. The resulting combination of motor and gearhead is also remarkably compact.
The new motors are well matched to a diverse range of applications. An interesting example is in seismic instruments designed to sense and respond to the slightest earth movements. As well as instrumentation, textile processing machinery, fitting machines and portable hand tools, there is huge potential for these motors in the field of medical technology.
In one clever development, a maxon EC motor is used to position the 'leaves' that form the iris of a radiation treatment machine. 100 or more of these leaves are positioned perfectly, according to the exact shape of the malignant growth, so that the cancer is irradiated while the surrounding healthy tissue is protected.
