Magnetics Business & Technology - May/June 2020 - 24

PRODUCT NEWS

SMAC Commercializes Innovative High-Torque Robotics Motor with Halbach Magnetics
Circuitry and Printed Coils
less 12-pole motor pictured above, is 550 mNm with maximum
speed of 2700 rpm and having a maximum efficiency of 85%.
As a company, SMAC specializes in developing and manufacturing advanced electric actuators aimed at replacing traditional
technology devices such as pneumatic cylinders, ball screw actuators, and moving magnet type linear motors. Its main markets
are electronic assembly, automotive manufacturing, packaging,
and more recently biotech, consumer electronics, and semiconductor.

Using Halbach arrays of Neodymium magnets and printed coils,
mechatronics developer SMAC is commercializing its innovative
high torque brushless DC motors that it designed for robotics and
electronics applications.
"The HT is a new revolutionary high torque brushless DC motor,"
according to Ed Neff, president. "Compared to other brushless
motors, it has a flat torque-speed curve meaning that the speed
is less influenced when the torque is increased. The secret to
that is found in how the magnetic circuit is built. A combination of
our patent pending Halbach magnets and printed coil technology
achieves the higher torque/amp."
SMAC recently introduced the HT35 as the first model in its HT
series. Next will be the HT55, a 55-mm model, that is presently in
development.
"These are very powerful little motors," explains Neff. "The
Halbach magnet circuits increase torque more than twice that
of conventional types due to their high flux density of over 10K
gauss. The magnet assembly is molded as one piece and by
printing the coils like in a flex circuit, we are able to make winding
configurations not possible with conventional winding methods."

Moving coil key to the technology

At the heart of all its actuators is a moving coil much like a voice
coil actuator. The essential principle is the same as in a permanent magnet loudspeaker. The coil sits in a strong magnetic field
and by passing a current through the coil a force is generated
in either direction. SMAC applies the same principle to design
its linear motors. By controlling current, it can control the force
output.
Key attributes of the actuators include extremely high acceleration and velocity due to lower moving mass compared to the
heavier moving-magnet technology used in most linear motors,
and very quiet operation which particularly appeals to electronics
and automation manufacturers. Force, position, and speed are
fully programmable so the actuators can be designed to perform
at exceptionally high speeds or very low speeds and with submicron accuracy and repeatability.
SMAC is based in Carlsbad, CA and has other locations across
the US as well as at various sites in Europe and Asia.

One application for which the motor was developed was to make
a robotic finger. Peak torque of the HT35-25-24K model, a brush-

Magnetics Business & Technology *

May/June 2020

For more info, see www.smac-mca.com.

www.MagneticsMag.com

https://www.smac-mca.com/ http://www.MagneticsMag.com

Magnetics Business & Technology - May/June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Magnetics Business & Technology - May/June 2020