SM Magnetics has provided customers with guidance on motor design, optimizing performance, and redesigning motors or components. Once designs are ready for prototype, we manufacture prototypes to identify manufacturing issues before production.
Motor design involves many variables and details, but five key questions provide a starting point with customers to help define project goals.
Where Should I Begin When Designing?
Our thoughts: Begin at the most important place — the end. Starting with “the end” is critical to solid design and project flow since it defines the goals, budget, specifications, and operating environment of the motor.
What Function Will the Motor Perform?
Our thoughts: Be realistic. Define the function as accurately and with as much detail as possible. All plans start with a defined outcome, so make sure your end goal is specific, understandable, and achievable.
A quick note about defining your end goal: remember to plan for changes, but not a complete overhaul unless completely warranted. Like all projects, set review points to determine if the motor project is still on the right track.
What Are the Torque, Horsepower, Voltage, Size, and Other Requirements?
Our thoughts: Define these prior to starting any design since these factors will provide the guidance needed for magnets, wire size, lamination specifications, and steel requirements. If the motor needs more torque than horsepower, design with that as your main factor while keeping your size limitations in mind.
Answering the question “how much torque and horsepower do I need?” with the reply “as much as possible” will only result in countless revisions, too many prototypes, no defined end, and a blown budget.
What Is My Budget and What Are My Defined Milestones? Should I Continue or Abort?
Our thoughts: Know your limits. This may sound like simple advice, but motor development must involve limits on spending and milestone checks to determine if the motor is a project to pursue or abort. Setting up defined check points and asking tough questions at each checkpoint will make the decision much easier.
We have seen projects redirected, reconsidered, or completely aborted because advanced planning allowed for evaluation and review points during development.
What Is the Operating Environment?
Our thoughts: Understanding the operating environment of a motor is just as important as defining the motor specs. The magnets in the rotor must be carefully selected to operate in the environment.
- Will the motor operate at a temperature greater than 60 °C?
- Will it be exposed to salt or fresh water?
- Is it in an application where the stator wires (or laminations) should be completely covered?
These are just some of the details that should be known before design so that the correct magnets, wire, laminations, steel, and coatings can be selected.
Engineering Support
SM Magnetics provides engineering guidance for motor magnet selection, rotor design, prototype builds, and the transition into production. For evaluation samples and stock motor magnets, see our eCommerce division SuperMagnetMan.