Typical motors function copper wrapped round metal, however ETM’s metal stator is wrapped across the exterior of the low-resistance copper coil. | Supply: ETM
Electrical Torque Machines, or ETM, final week entered the robotics and superior actuator market with its transverse flux motor know-how. The corporate mentioned it’s providing its TFM know-how by a versatile partnership mannequin that permits OEMs to retain manufacturing management, defend margins, and speed up growth timelines.
The robotics trade faces converging pressures: aggressive efficiency targets, thermal administration constraints, provide chain volatility, and the necessity for product differentiation, in accordance with ETM. It mentioned its TFM know-how addresses these challenges on the system stage, enabling producers to simplify mechanical designs, scale back prices, and obtain efficiency benchmarks beforehand requiring vital tradeoffs.
“The period of sacrificing thermal efficiency for torque density is over,” acknowledged Chuck Ensign, ETM president. “ETM offers robotics firms next-level actuation functionality whereas sustaining management of their product roadmap and manufacturing future.”
Based in 2007, ETM was acquired by Graco in 2020. The Flagstaff, Ariz.-based firm’s TFM know-how was initially utilized in high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) industrial followers. It now serves markets together with marine propulsion, materials dealing with, and pumps and sprayers, with new functions constantly below growth and launch.
TFM guarantees to chop motor dimension and manufacturing value
Whereas high-ratio actuators maximize torque-to-weight ratios, their inherent inefficiency creates vital thermal bottlenecks and reduces battery autonomy, asserted ETM. Different direct-drive architectures try to enhance effectivity however finally fail to fulfill SWaP-C2 (dimension, weight, energy, value, and cooling) targets resulting from extreme motor sizing and manufacturing prices, it mentioned.
ETM mentioned TFM eliminates this trade-off by decoupling magnetic flux from electrical windings, enabling the torque density of high-ratio methods with the effectivity and thermal reliability of low-ratio drives. The corporate claimed that its patented structure offers as much as 10x larger torque density than typical motors.
As well as, ETM mentioned its TFM know-how has already been confirmed in demanding, high-volume industrial functions.
ETM has changed the “rat’s nest” of copper wiring on a standard motor with a easy, low-resistance round coil. | Supply: ETM
ETM licensing lets OEMs embody motors in their very own platforms
TFM offers robotics OEMs with another path to counting on exterior part suppliers, mentioned ETM. They’ll license its confirmed motor know-how and manufacture it inside their very own platforms reasonably than counting on exterior part suppliers.
In contrast to typical provider relationships, ETM mentioned its licensing mannequin permits companions to retain full manufacturing management and margin whereas leveraging validated structure—accelerating time-to-market and lowering technical threat. This permits OEMs to combine TFM know-how inside their very own designs, use present manufacturing infrastructure, and preserve full management over proprietary platforms.
ETM mentioned its licensing mannequin “turns the long-elusive TFM know-how right into a aggressive benefit companions personal, not a commodity they purchase.”
