Starting Early: Why You Should Consult Your Motion System Engineers at the Onset of New OEM Projects

Electric motors — along with their transmission, feedback and control devices — are critical to machines that require motion control. Original equipment manufacturers (OEM) embarking on a new product’s development should therefore involve the motion specialists as early as possible in the project’s design. Since the motor and its output have a broad impact on the equipment’s overall design, early inclusion of the motion system experts will optimize the performance of the equipment and streamline project development.

This is especially the case for precision equipment that requires a miniature motor and motion system. By controlling the torque, speed, acceleration and shaft position, the electric motor is the fundamental component that brings to life a variety of systems — from surgical robots to industrial power tools to commercial aerospace systems. Some of these applications don’t require more than 1 kilowatt (kW) of power, necessitating small, lightweight motion systems.

Compact motion systems — which typically generate less than 1 kW and measure roughly 90 millimeters (mm) or less in diameter — must often meet complex application requirements. The motors and control systems that guide satellites or power the joints of a surgical robot, for example, need to provide pinpoint precision. Similarly, the motors that control medical equipment, such as patient infusion systems, must ensure absolute reliability. Such reliability is also a typical requirement for mission-critical military applications.

No matter the equipment, a motion system’s design requires careful consideration. These aspects will impact the equipment’s ability to fulfill its tasks according to the application’s speed and accuracy requirements. They will also affect the equipment’s ultimate size and weight, as well as its time to market and development costs, making it highly beneficial for OEMs to include the motion system experts at the earliest possible stage of a new project.

In our whitepaper, we explore the benefits of consulting motion system engineers at a new project’s ideation phase — which is the most effective approach to optimize equipment performance and meet design objectives. Read the full article here!