The flawless launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 22, 2012 was another successful step for maxon motor ag in the use of high precision motors in the astronautics industry. The crucial tasks of the motors in the SpaceX mission included orienting the solar arrays of the Dragon spacecraft towards the sun for…
Telescope Motors Operate in -120° F Antarctic Temperatures
Antarctica’s Concordia Station recently experienced a new record temperature: -84.6° C, or -120.3° F. Not many things operate well under such conditions, but one telescope mount — which has to move continuously — happens to be one of them. Astro-Physics, which designs and manufactures telescope mounts, has proven their resilience through the installation of several…
Sterilizable Brushless Motor up to 100 Watts
maxon’s newly improved EC 22 motors are equipped with preloaded ball bearings and latest generation Neodymium permanent magnets. The motors feature low vibration and low noise levels even at high speeds. With their nominal torque of up to 44 mNm, an efficiency of more than 90% and a 25% reduced speed/torque gradient, these are truly…
Hull Cleaning Robot for Large Ships
By Roger Hess, Sales and Applications Engineer, Maxon Precision Motors, Inc., Fall River, Mass. A Florida company designed a robotic crawler to navigate around the underwater portion of a ship and remove accumulated biofilm layers. As a battery operated, autonomous vehicle, component selection made up a highly critical part of the design and manufacturing process…
Selecting Small DC Motors for Low-power Applications
The most appropriate type of low-power dc motor that can be selected for any application depends on several factors. First, determine the correct gearhead ratio when one is used; second, determine the maximum mechanical power that the motor must produce; third, decide on the type of bearings that are most compatible; and last, select an…