MACCON can provide all types of electric motors and electro-magnetic designs for use in space:
Typically these motors are PM-BLDC 3- phase, multi-pole, brushless designs with inner rotors. However we also supply outer rotor motors and other technologies.
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Most space programs require special motor designs, processes and materials. For these projects, classical industrial motor design approaches are not suitable. The individual design approaches, the material choice and manufacturing processes need to be qualified unless they are already verified by space heritage. To achieve long life and reliability, conservative and proven designs as well as the best possible quality levels of material and workmanship must be used. Further design requirements can be summarized as high efficiency, minimization of losses and heat dissipation by suitable a design architecture in order to reduce the influence of thermal stress on each component. Furthermore, special attention is needed, if a wide thermal operational range is required. In some extreme cases, temperature ranges for cryogenic applications are required. In such applications operating temperatures from around 70K up to a higher level of ambient conditions have to be managed. Therefore, the whole motor design has to be adapted to these extreme conditions by using special design rules. One example of a design rule for motors for cryogenic applications, is that the local coupling and contacting between individual motor phases in the stator winding must be minimized. This rule must be adhered to within the active part of the stator winding, but also within the end-turns, in order to minimize mechanical stress caused by unequal thermal expansion of the copper wiring, as well as to mitigate the effects of stress caused by the high vibration levels typical during a launch event. Furthermore, the choice of the lamination insulation varnish, as well as the wire and slot insulation material must be adapted to these harsh ambient conditions. In addition, the wire impregnating resin material and further stator components must be adjusted to these extreme requirements. For the rotor design special criteria must also be employed. The main issues of a cryogenically specified rotor design are the rotor architecture and the selected, high remanent magnet materials. A design with embedded rotor magnets may be the safest solution with regard to the mechanical stability and the protection of the magnets against demagnetization by strong stator fields. However, this approach is not conducive to maximizing the torque-to-volume ratio i.e. the torque density. A rotor design with surface-mounted magnets has a higher torque density than a design with embedded magnets. However, there are significant risks for the secure mechanical attachment of the magnets to the rotor hub due to thermal expansion stresses, not to mention centrifugal forces at high speed operation.
Please consult the scientific whitepaper on the above right for a detailed description of this technology.
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In the following, we provide a list of typical engineering services which MACCON provides during the course of a space-rated motor project:
Motor-related services:
Project management services
Detailed functional and performance testing services
Thermal vacuum testing services
Vibration testing
Bake-out services
Contact us today to talk to an experienced MACCON engineer!