Redesign sees power upgrade for wheel motors

A redesign of its compact XR15 series by Printed Motor Works has enhanced the specification of this in-wheel motor range. The upgraded models have greater radial and axial load bearing capacity thanks to their larger diameter shaft and heavier duty bearings sets.

The new design also has improved finned cooling, enabling greater efficiency and longer operation under load. In addition, a reduced parts count and simplified assembly enable easier maintenance. Common parts are shared between the XR15 family of motors, including bearings, encoder and hall board, power and signal cables and cable strain relief.

The XR series are permanent magnet brushless motors with an external rotor. This rotor layout has the fundamental advantage that torque is delivered on the outermost point of the motor. In addition, torque density is maximised by a high degree of slot fill.

Ferrite magnets are fitted as standard, but there is an option to use higher powered neodymium magnets within the same package size. An integrated optical encoder has optional x1, x2 and x4 electronic interpolation, so that counts per revolution can be 2072, 4144 or 8288 as standard.

Typical applications for the XR series include in-wheel motors for automated guided vehicles (AGVs), robotic actuators, industrial and marine winch systems, specialised military electric vehicles and trailers, and compact generators for auxiliary power units.