We design and build permanent magnet motors ranging from 0.25hp to over 800hp.
Our low-speed, high-torque motors exceed 4,000 ft-lbs (5,400 Nm) making them
among the largest permanent magnet motors built in the United States.
Why so much emphasis on permanent magnet motors? Because they, and the
controllers that drive them, form the mechanical heart of our OSSA Powerlite® technology. In most power systems the majority of energy (which isn't wasted)
is consumed by one or more motors. Having superb control over these motors is
a mandatory starting point for optimizing the overall energy efficiency of the
system. Whether the motors are driving pumps, spinning blowers or providing
propulsion power, all of them must be capable of quickly and precisely
matching their load requirements in real-time. Well designed permanent magnet
motors excel in such applications.
What most people think of as the "motor", that is the rotor and stator, are
only a part of the technology required to build an efficient permanent magnet
drive system. The other, and some would say even more important technology,
can be found in the electronic drive system. All brushless permanent magnet
motors require electronic commutation. Motors driven by a trapezoidal wave
form are known as brushless DC, or BLDC, motors. When commutated by a sine
wave, the same motor is generally referred to as a synchronous permanent
magnet (SPM) motor.
Regardless of the type of control, the ability to modify the wave form
produced by this electronic "drive" gives the motor unique characteristics
that make it possible to optimize them in real time. This kind of on-the-fly
customization is impossible with conventional motors. While there is no hard
rule, BLDC motors are generally used in lower power applications that are not
required to be controllable under 100 rpm, for example refrigeration
compressors or blowers. For propulsion applications and those requiring maximum
speed control from startup, SPM are required. Because both drive methods have
their place, Glacier Bay maintains technology leadership in each. In fact, we
are one of the few motor manufacturers who also design and manufacture our own
matching drives. The ability to optimize the motors and drives to each other
gives us a performance and reliability edge that can't be matched by
generically adapted components.
Glacier Bay permanent magnet brushless DC and synchronous PM motors cover:
