FAQs
Why Design with
Direct Drive Technology?
Torque motor for direct drive.
Why would I adopt a direct drive solution when
my gearbox drive works fine?
Two primary characteristics that attract engineers to direct drive
are long-term reliability and force/torque density. Knowing the
core working principles show you that the power from a motor is
directly applied to a mechanism with no physical contact. Without
parts that wear and tear over time, you get a machine that works
just as well years later as it does when it is first constructed—with
minimal downtime.
In addition, the amount of power you get per its footprint is much
greater than any other force transmission method. This allows you
to save space in a machine without relinquishing performance, and
while maintaining quality over time.
What are the core working principles of direct
drive technology?
In essence, direct drive technology is based on the right-hand rule of
electromagnetism, whereby a current moving through a wound coil
creates a magnetic field. Switching the direction of current changes
its polarity, and adjusting the amount of current changes the strength
of the magnetic force. To exponentially increase that magnetic force,
you put a highly conductive material, such as iron, within the coil.
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Whenever this field interacts with a magnetic material, such as a
row of permanent magnets, the current can be adjusted in terms
of strength and polarity, creating a push/pull force on both parts.
The resulting force is capable of moving an object without making
physical contact, which is where it gets its long-term reliability. This
force generates a linear motion when using a flatbed track of magnets
and a rotary motion when using a ring of magnets.
What are the limitations of using this technology?
Most of the time, a motor’s performance is limited by how much
force/torque it can output without overheating. The better this is
controlled the more performance is available from a particular
motor. Consider the continuous value of the motor (continuous
force with linear and torque with rotary), which is the average value
the motor can run 24/7. This value is the most malleable, since it can
be greatly adjusted by how the motor is able to dissipate heat. By
using a heat sink or liquid cooling, you will see a noticeable increase
in performance—sometimes even doubled with liquid cooling.
Getting exact values takes some trial and error, so pay attention
to any guidelines and fine print given on a datasheet in order to
properly optimize the performance of the motor and get a stable
temperature. Also note that a motor is able to perform well above
the continuous value until it reaches the peak value. In this case,
the motor can’t physically go higher than this because, along with
sharp overheating, so much current is added to the coils that the
user runs the risk of demagnetizing the magnets and even burning
the motor. Understanding what the different values represent and
properly monitoring the temperature sensors will allow you to use
the motor to its full capabilities.
What is the difference between a torque
motor and a servo motor when they are both
considered direct drive?
When the magnets move past the copper coils, a current is created
within the copper and creates a Back-Electromotive Force (or back-
EMF) Voltage. To compensate, the controller inputs more current to
counteract it. So, the greater the motor speed, the more difficulty
it will have reaching similar force values than if it were operating
at lower speeds, as you can see in any torque vs. speed
graph on a motor datasheet. The extent of this depends
on the surface area between the magnets and coils:
The more total coils (or poles) a motor has, the greater
the Back-EMF.

This applies also to linear motors, but is a key difference

between a rotary torque motor and a servo motor. As
servos are built more for higher speeds and low torque
with their lower poll count, torque motors focus on
maximizing torque with more poles. Although this is
not the only property that affects the motor’s speed
(Eddy currents can also heat up parts of the motor), it
is what affects it the most.

How would I know if a motor can

properly run with my drives?
The standard for a direct drive motors is for there to
be three different polarities amongst the coils, called
phases, acting upon the magnets at a time. These
3-phase synchronous motors incorporate three wires
for current and the amount of current going into the
motor is the only interaction. As long as the Amps
supplied by the drives are sufficient enough for the
motor to work at full power (which you can always find
on the datasheet) and can run a 3-phase synchronous
motor, it would be compatible.

What applications are best suited for

direct drive technology?
Because motors are simply a method of translating
electromagnetism into motion and come in a variety
of different sizes and power levels, whether or not a Enabling Manufacturing
direct drive motor is applicable depends on if it can
Technology
take advantage of the benefits. Sometimes a machine
needs high force within a low profile and sometimes
it’s the precision which is more important. Leading Technologies & Unmatched Performance
In the machine tool industry, a lot of torque is needed
to move large metal block with precise accuracy to
ETEL offers the most comprehensive torque motors range in the industry.
get a good cut; in smaller-scale operations such as
With more than 100 models to choose from, almost any requirement can
semiconductor manufacturing or metrology, the power be successfully fulfilled. All ETEL motors benefit from ETEL's patented
isn’t as important as maintaining precise performance very low cogging design. This construction also enables an
over the machine’s lifetime. Applications can be as exceptional peak torque density in the magnetic gap, as well as
standard as a rotary table or as unique as an aircraft— unparalleled thermal protection, which provides a significant advantage
the only limitation is the engineer’s imagination. for long-term operations.

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