What are the Benefits of Direct Drive Motors?

Complexity in mechanical assemblies is not necessarily a good thing. More moving parts typically translates to more potential points of failure, greater inefficiencies, and relatively poor reliability. There is a reason why the power transmission is the most common cause of vehicular faults and the largest source of mechanical losses. This is because multiple integrated gears and shafts are used to drive the load. Additionally, the gearbox can contribute objectionable amounts of noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) which is unappealing to consumers.

Direct drive technology has been available for a long time, but it has experienced significant uptake in recent years in applications varying from the automotive sector through to clean energy generation. So, what benefits do direct drive motors offer over conventional motors?

What is a Direct Drive System?

A direct drive motor describes any linear or rotary motor that is directly connected to the load, driving it without means of mechanical transmission. Instead of mechanical couplings, direct drive systems use permanent synchronous magnets and stator windings to produce an applied electromagnetic field to directly transmit motor power without intermediate components.

5 Benefits of Direct Drive Motors

1. Compactness—Direct drive motors offer significant design advantages, particularly due to large through hole diameters (rotor ID) and low axial height. As direct drive motors consist of just two parts—the stator and rotor—they can be engineered to extremely compact form factors.
2. Power—With optimized motor constant, direct drive motors offer exceptional power density. In rotary motors this represents elite torque density torque-carrying capabilities with a small footprint and low energy consumption.
3. Performance—Direct drive systems use a choice of high resolution positional feedback devices (optical encoders, capacitive encoders, brushless resolvers, etc.) for extremely accurate dynamics and speed, resulting in dramatic improvements to precision.
4. Reliability—The low part count of frameless direct drive motor kits significantly increases component reliability. By eliminating additional mechanical elements, the cost of assembly is significantly reduced while detrimental effects like backlash or wear are avoided.
5. Low Maintenance—The high reliability of direct drive systems also translates to reduced maintenance requirements. In many cases, frameless motors can run for their entire lifetime without maintenance cycles—which results in reduced downtimes thus maximum throughput and performance over the full service period of the part.

Direct Drive Motors from Celera Motion

Although direct drive systems represent a clear improvement over conventional systems, a lack of familiarity with synchronous magnet technologies often leads machine builders to stick by classical systems. At Celera Motion, we have developed a range of pre-engineered direct drive solutions design for optimal system integration. Our goal is to reduce the friction associated with onboarding new technologies and to provide tangible returns for end-users in a range of application areas.

Read More: Direct Drive Motors, Frameless Resolvers, Ring Encoders

Our Omni+ Series direct drive motors are optimised to fit into various actuation systems or rotary stages with custom windings and form factors available to meet specific application requirements. Interested in learning more? Contact a member of the Celera Motion team today.