DISRUPTIVE PCB STATOR TECHNOLOGY
FOR GLOBAL MANUFACTURE.

 

Axial Flux

ECM'S CUTTING EDGE MOTOR DESIGN.

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.

ECM CORE ADVANTAGES

Our patented stator design and PrintStator software offer many advantages to the motor industry.

 

QUALITY OF MOTION

With no steel in the stator, all cogging is eliminated.

INCREASED DURABILITY

ECM’s continuous coil design limits internal connections and increases life expectancy.

OPTIMIZED DESIGN

PrintStator software reduces design cycle time and improves design flexibility.

HIGHER EFFICIENCY

Typical designs utilizing ECM’s patented technology range in efficiency from the low to mid 90s.

ULTRA THIN & LIGHTWEIGHT

Motors designed with ECM stators weigh up to 70% less than traditional motors and use up to 80% less raw materials.

COOLING

A thermal design with a continuous copper path to conduct heat from the stator.

SUPERIOR TORQUE DENSITY

ECM machines produce the same torque with less than half the mass(Nm/kg) of many competing designs.

EASY TO MANUFACTURE

Design files are transferred directly to any PCB manufacturer for mass production using proprietary software.

LOW NOISE

ECM machines eliminate harmonics from leads (ECM) and winding structures.

Quality

ECM ADVANTAGE QUALITY OF MOTION

SINUSOIDAL WAVE FORMS AND
ZERO COGGING

 

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

ECM ADVANTAGE

Durability

ECM ADVANTAGE INCREASED DURABILITY

DURABILITY & HALT

 

• Proven durability
• ECM motors have been run through HALT
testing 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 well
to standard materials, especially when loaded
correctly
• FR-4 is used in military applications, including
missile/rocket PCB’s

Stator

Heat damaged stator with

burned out windings

 PCB stator with fully
 encapsulated windings

Stator

ECM ADVANTAGE

Design

ECM ADVANTAGE OPTIMIZED DESIGN

DESIGN FEATURES AND CYCLE TIME

 

PrintStator, ECM’s PCB stator design and
optimization software, reduces design cycle time
and 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

Stator

 PrintStator allows considerable flexibility in specifying optimization parameters and design restraints

ECM ADVANTAGE

Efficiency

ECM ADVANTAGE HIGHER EFFICIENCY

EFFICIENT POWER CONSUMPTION,
EXTENDED BATTERY LIFE

 

PrintStator’s optimization capabilities create
machines with efficiencies >90%.

• PrintStator allows for the targeted
reduction of resistance and eddy current losses
• Optimizing copper geometries and thickness in
PCB stators
• PrintStator has the ability to optimize/restrain
all other parameters for the most optimal
efficiency result

Stator

 

ECM ADVANTAGE

Efficiency

ECM ADVANTAGE SUSTAINABILITY

A SUSTAINABLE, COST-EFFECTIVE
SOLUTION

 

Increased efficiency and decreased materials
contribute greatly to ECM’s sustainability
initiatives 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 copper
than conventional motor windings
• Highly efficient motors consume less power and
have 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.

Stator

 

ECM ADVANTAGE

Ultra Light

ECM ADVANTAGE ULTRA THIN & LIGHTWEIGHT

FORM FACTOR

 

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

Stator

 

ECM ADVANTAGE

Cooling

ECM ADVANTAGE COOLING

EFFECTIVE THERMAL FEATURES

 

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.

Stator

• Can be shaped and function as “heat pipes”
• These non-hollow “heat pipes” are using the
copper to conduct the heat from the center of
the stator to the outside edge, where the stator
is clamped into the case and the heat can be
rejected to ambient

Stator

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

Stator

ECM ADVANTAGE

Torque

ECM ADVANTAGE SUPERIOR TORQUE DENSITY

MORE TORQUE WITH LESS MASS

 

ECM’s characteristic form factor and PrintStator’s design capabilities result in extremely torque dense machines.

• PrintStator optimizes copper geometries and
winding patterns, delivering superior torque
• ECM motors scale radially rather then axially,
producing motors with superior torque in a
reduced volume

Stator

 

ECM ADVANTAGE

Manufacture

ECM ADVANTAGE EASY TO MANUFACTURE

PCB STATOR MANUFACTURING

 

• 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 ubiquitously
utilized by the printed circuit board
manufacturing industry

Stator

 

ECM ADVANTAGE

Low Noise

ECM ADVANTAGE LOW NOISE

ELECTROMAGNETIC AND ACOUSTIC
NOISE

 

Correctly controlled, ECM machines eliminate
harmonics from leads (electromagnetic) and
winding structures (acoustic).

• Harmonics do not excite mechanical modes in
the motor because it’s not used as a filter
• Forces acting on stator winding can initiate
vibration, causing acoustic noise and reliability
problems
• ECM coils are fully encapsulated in composite
structure, eliminating this problem
• In conventional motors, cogging torque is
produced, resulting in vibration and acoustic
noise
• Lack of iron in ECM stators results in smooth
torque, eliminating cogging and mechanical
excitation of attached structures as a source
of noise

Stator

 

ECM ADVANTAGE

CUSTOMIZED
DESIGNS

 

Specialized solutions with exact operating parameters.

Test Drive PrintStator »

COMMERCIAL
APPLICATIONS

 

Innovative applications powered by ECM’s PCB stator technology.

Discover the Edge »

ELECTRIC MOTOR
HISTORY

 

ECM’s platform is the next evolution in motor technology.

Journey Through Time »
PrintStator

 

ADVANCED DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION SOFTWARE

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.

HOW IT WORKS

A LOOK AT ELECTRIC MOTORS OVER TIME

  1. 1832
  2. 1886
  3. 1921
  4. 1962
  5. 1982
  6. 1986
  7. 2015
  8. 2016
  9. 2017
  10. 2018
  11. 2019
    12. 3 Mar

  1. 1832

    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.

  2. 1886

    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.

  3. 1921

    A significant increase in electric motor efficiencies and reliability is achieved by adding an air gap between the motor stator and rotor.

  4. 1962

    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.

  5. 1982

    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.

  6. 1986

    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.

  7. 2015

    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.

  8. 2016

    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.

  9. 2017

    PrintStator successfully produces “stacked stator” designs, allowing higher operating voltages. ECM acquires 625 patent rights, is granted 3 patents and files 2 additional patents.

  10. 2018

    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.

  11. 2019

    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.

09.15.20

PRESS RELEASE: ECM and CONE DRIVE INTEGRATE PCB STATOR TECHNOLOGY INTO THEIR ROBOTIC JOINT ACTUATOR APPLICATIONS

Read about ECM and Cone Drive's recent collaboration in the world of robotics! This case study dives into what separates the project's exemplary actuator design from conventional tech.
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