FASCO Australia has developed an axial-flux brushless DC motor which, it claims, offers higher efficiencies and lower running costs and noise levels than induction motors in applications such as pumps.
Axial-flux motors are already used widely in applications such as computer disc drives. However, Fasco Australia claims that its imPower motor is the first volume-produced version for applications such as pumps, fans and mixers.
Fasco Australia says the pancake-style imPower motor has evolved from a unit developed by Charles Darwin University for a trans-Australian race for solar-powered vehicles in 1993. Following the race, a company called In Motion Technologies (IMT) was set up to commercialise the technology.
In 2006, IMT was bought by Fasco Australia.
Unlike radial-flux induction motors, where a cylindrical rotor rotates inside the stator, Fasco Australia says the axial-flux motors use disc-shaped rotors and stators located next to each other to create an axial air gap.
The motors incorporate powerful rare-earth magnets and electronic speed controls to deliver a higher performance in a smaller package, using less active materials.
Fasco Australia is currently distributing a 745W version of the motor, which can deliver speeds from 500 to 2850RPM and 2.5Nm of torque. It is planning to release a 1.5kW version in 2009 and has built prototypes up to 50kW.
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