ECM’s patented technology eliminates the need for wire winding and iron laminations used in conventional motors and generators, by embedding copper-etched conductors into a multi-layered printed circuit board to form a stator that works in conjunction with permanent magnets.
With no steel in the stator, all cogging is eliminated.
ECM’s continuous coil design limits internal connections and increases life expectancy.
PrintStator software reduces design cycle time and improves design flexibility.
Typical designs utilizing ECM’s patented technology range in efficiency from the low to mid 90s.
Motors designed with ECM stators weigh up to 70% less than traditional motors and use up to 80% less raw materials.
A thermal design with a continuous copper path to conduct heat from the stator.
ECM machines produce the same torque with less than half the mass(Nm/kg) of many competing designs.
Design files are transferred directly to any PCB manufacturer for mass production using proprietary software.
ECM machines eliminate harmonics from leads (ECM) and winding structures.
Motors integrated with ECM’s technology have a superior quality of motion compared to conventional machines.
• No out-of-plane forces on the stator as a result
of applied torque
• Perfectly loaded in the in-plane, stiff direction
• No tendency for the design to encourage
buckling or plate deflections
• Proven durability
• ECM motors have been run through HALTtesting with impressive results
• Thermal, vibration, cycling
• Durable design:
• Less moving parts
• Fully encapsulated windings
• Durable material: FR-4
• FR-4 is a composite of glass fiber
• Like carbon fiber composite, it compares wellto standard materials, especially when loadedcorrectly
• FR-4 is used in military applications, includingmissile/rocket PCB’s
Heat damaged stator with
burned out windings
PCB stator with fully
encapsulated windings
PrintStator, ECM’s PCB stator design andoptimization software, reduces design cycle timeand improves design flexibility.
• PCB Stator Design
• Hollow shaft capability of motor and drive —
through hole design
• Allows media, electrical or mechanical
components to be guided through the motor
cavity
• Potential to integrate fan/fluid pump within
motor cavity
• Compact integration with harmonic/planetary
drive torque multipliers
• PrintStator: Design and Optimization Software
• Significantly reduces design cycle time
• Quickly transforms customer application
requirements into an optimized motor
design that’s ready for rapid prototyping and
commercial production
PrintStator allows considerable flexibility in specifying optimization parameters and design restraints
PrintStator’s optimization capabilities createmachines with efficiencies >90%.
• PrintStator allows for the targeted reduction of resistance and eddy current losses
• Optimizing copper geometries and thickness inPCB stators
• PrintStator has the ability to optimize/restrainall other parameters for the most optimalefficiency result
Increased efficiency and decreased materialscontribute greatly to ECM’s sustainabilityinitiatives as well as its emphasis on cost-effectiveness.
• Up to 80% less raw materials
• PrintStator optimizes magnet and steel mass
• PCB Stators require significantly less copperthan conventional motor windings
• Highly efficient motors consume less power andhave a reduced carbon footprint
• ECM’s patented stator design optimizes copper
geometries and winding patterns, delivering
superior efficiency at a reduced cost and
environmental impact.
PCB Stators integrate into remarkably thin,
compact, lightweight motors and generators.
• Up to 70% lighter
• Up to 80% less raw materials
• Fewer steel components, simpler part
geometry
• Drastically thinner
• Planar form factor
• Motor envelope increases in size radially
• Remains axially thin, even at large power
ratings
A thermal design which has a continuous copper path from the parts of the stator, where losses originate, to the interface to the case. This is possible due to utilizing portions of the PCB copper that do not carry current.
• Can be shaped and function as “heat pipes” • These non-hollow “heat pipes” are using thecopper to conduct the heat from the center ofthe stator to the outside edge, where the statoris clamped into the case and the heat can berejected to ambient
Both machines processing 500W [L] ECM Motor, [R] Conventional DC Motor
[L] Sitting on an insulated pad (no heat sink)
[R] Inside one half of a motor case
ECM’s characteristic form factor and PrintStator’s design capabilities result in extremely torque dense machines.
• PrintStator optimizes copper geometries andwinding patterns, delivering superior torque • ECM motors scale radially rather then axially,producing motors with superior torque in areduced volume
• Very reliable and cost-effective production
• No manual copper winding
• Ability to design and print stators at any of
numerous circuit board printers across the globe
• Utilizes Gerber Files that are ubiquitouslyutilized by the printed circuit boardmanufacturing industry
Correctly controlled, ECM machines eliminate
harmonics from leads (electromagnetic) and
winding structures (acoustic).
• Harmonics do not excite mechanical modes inthe motor because it’s not used as a filter
• Forces acting on stator winding can initiatevibration, causing acoustic noise and reliabilityproblems
• ECM coils are fully encapsulated in compositestructure, eliminating this problem
• In conventional motors, cogging torque isproduced, resulting in vibration and acousticnoise
• Lack of iron in ECM stators results in smoothtorque, eliminating cogging and mechanicalexcitation of attached structures as a sourceof noise
Innovative applications powered by ECM’s PCB stator technology.
Discover the Edge »
ECM’s platform is the next evolution in motor technology.
Journey Through Time »
PrintStator fundamentally changes the way motors are designed and manufactured. ECM’s advanced design software immediately and automatically transforms motor requirements into optimized, unique PCB stator designs, ready for rapid prototyping and commercial production.
The first DC electric motor capable of moving machinery is invented by British scientist William Sturgeon. His design is later adapted by Thomas Davenport, leading to the first DC motor patent.
Following a period of rapid improvements to motor technology, the first practical DC motor is invented by Frank Julian Sprague. His design is capable of maintaining a relatively constant speed, while completely eliminating sparking.
A significant increase in electric motor efficiencies and reliability is achieved by adding an air gap between the motor stator and rotor.
The invention of the first brushless DC motors increases electric motor reliability and performance by replacing the physical “brush” commutators with electronic commutators made possible by the development of solid state electronics.
The widespread integration of permanent magnets into brushless DC motors is made possible by the greater availability of rare earth metals, increasing their power output significantly.
Jerry Genco and Norman Smith patent a motor with a stator on printed circuit assembly, reducing manufacturing and material costs for permanent magnet BLDC motors. Their design both electrically and mechanically connects the stator to a printed circuit board via the circuit components and contact terminals.
ECM’s advanced modeling software PrintStator is launched and utilized to prototype a mid-drive solution for an electric bike. From discrete inputs, PrintStator automatically generates associated Gerber and drawing files for the 6” stator, sent to a local PCB house for printing.
ECM files three patents: (1) addressing thermal management in PCB stators; (2) addressing winding losses via unique methods, geometries and structures in PCB stators; (3) specific to apparatus and method for forming a magnet assembly.
PrintStator successfully produces “stacked stator” designs, allowing higher operating voltages. ECM acquires 625 patent rights, is granted 3 patents and files 2 additional patents.
PrintStator successfully incorporates CAM sub-routines to seamlessly translate optimized motor design geometry to G-code utilized by CNC machine tools that manufacture component parts, improving overall quality and nearly eliminating operator error.
ECM is granted an additional 3 patents related to PrintStator, granting ECM a total of 10 patents. PrintStator has been used to successfully integrate motors in the e-mobility, HVACR, robotics, maritime and medical industries.