Machine tool motor line expands

NUM has expanded its portfolio of motors for machine tool applications by launching a range of high performance brushless torque motors.

Employing optimised magnetics, NUM’s new TMX series direct drive motors have an extremely low cogging torque. They are ideal for applications that demand smooth and accurate rotation, especially at low speeds. Typical uses include direct drive machine tools, rotary tables and radial positioning units.

For direct drive applications, NUM has generally specified use of torque motors produced by IDAM. A member of the Schaeffler Group, this company specialises in direct drive technology and enjoys a tight business partnership with NUM. However, as Massimiliano Menegotto, General Manager of NUM’s main manufacturing plant in Milan, Italy, explained, “A growing number of our customers request customised motors, and prefer to deal with a single supplier for all their CNC machine tool requirements. We have developed the TMX series of torque motors specifically to address these needs. They complement those produced by IDAM and provide us with additional in-house configuration flexibility, enabling us to offer customers an even wider range of solutions.”

NUM is initially launching two TMX series frameless torque motors, with stator diameters of 140mm and 291mm, and intends expanding the range in the future. The motors’ hollow shaft rotors utilise high flux density neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets and offer ample internal space for through-motor wiring or mechanical parts. The stator windings are fully protected against over-temperature conditions and are encapsulated within a thermally optimised enclosure that offers a choice of air-cooled and water-cooled configurations.

Like all direct drive motors, the TMX series units are capable of providing continuous torque even when stalled, and are designed for direct attachment to the load. This obviates the need for gearboxes or shaft couplings, to provide highly accurate, backlash-free rotary transmission. The rotor and frameless stator are supplied as component parts and are primarily intended for applications that require total integration of the motor within the servomechanism in order to reduce weight or volume.

NUM’s new TMX series motors can produce a very high S1 torque density and are available with a choice of stator and rotor lengths to best suit the motion requirements of the application. By way of example, a 140mm diameter motor with an active length of 70mm can produce a peak torque of approximately 82Nm at speeds up to 1,500rpm, and a continuous (stall) torque of approximately 50Nm.
The motors can be driven by most industry-standard servo drives, including NUM’s MDLU3 and MDLUX drives, which form part of the company’s latest-generation Flexium+ CNC platform.