TMK Torque Motors

July 01, 2014

Available from Heidenhain Corp., ETEL's TMK motor range boasts a unique electromagnetic design and redefines the concept of torque motors at high speeds without necessitating compromises on other performance criteria.

The TMK series is the result of market demand towards a desire for higher speed rotary motors that still maintain the amount of torque provided in other models, such as the ETEL's TMB series, according to the company. Due to its rotor design, which utilizes buried magnet technology along with field weakening, it is reportedly able to rotate with speeds of up to nine times greater than a typical torque motor's standard working speeds. And with the buried magnet technology also providing a higher flux concentration, the TMK series motors can produce up to 30 percent more continuous torque compared to traditional torque motors of the same size. Along with that, it uses liquid cooling to increase its continuous torque even further. And with its patented design minimizing force ripple, the TMK series maintains a high force density while other anti-cogging motor designs sacrifice performance.

Because of its ability to achieve such high speeds, the TMK torque motor series has recently won the Innovation Award in Paris, France at the "Industrie 2014" international industrial fair. The fair's judges, a team composed of about 20 specialized journalists, stated that "The TMK motor is an innovative product enabling new functions in the area of milling and turning in the machine tool industry that will lead to higher technology end products and lower manufacturing costs."

ETEL's TMK torque motors are available in 24 different sizes with six diameters, from 198 to 1050mm, and four heights to cover a range of continuous torque from 80 Nm to 10800 Nm. It is also able to reach a maximum peak torque of up to 20000 Nm. TMKs are well adapted for high-end machine tool applications and rotary tables in which one needs to combine accurate positioning with high torque at low speeds. The TMK series is able to achieve this while being able to switch to a dynamic mode reaching very high speeds at lower torque levels.

The TMK also has the option of ETEL's IMTHP thermal module which enables users to reduce their amount of safety margins while receiving precise and reliable temperature monitoring. ETEL torque motors are compatible with most CNCs.

Related Glossary Terms

  • gang cutting ( milling)

    gang cutting ( milling)

    Machining with several cutters mounted on a single arbor, generally for simultaneous cutting.

  • milling

    milling

    Machining operation in which metal or other material is removed by applying power to a rotating cutter. In vertical milling, the cutting tool is mounted vertically on the spindle. In horizontal milling, the cutting tool is mounted horizontally, either directly on the spindle or on an arbor. Horizontal milling is further broken down into conventional milling, where the cutter rotates opposite the direction of feed, or “up” into the workpiece; and climb milling, where the cutter rotates in the direction of feed, or “down” into the workpiece. Milling operations include plane or surface milling, endmilling, facemilling, angle milling, form milling and profiling.

  • turning

    turning

    Workpiece is held in a chuck, mounted on a face plate or secured between centers and rotated while a cutting tool, normally a single-point tool, is fed into it along its periphery or across its end or face. Takes the form of straight turning (cutting along the periphery of the workpiece); taper turning (creating a taper); step turning (turning different-size diameters on the same work); chamfering (beveling an edge or shoulder); facing (cutting on an end); turning threads (usually external but can be internal); roughing (high-volume metal removal); and finishing (final light cuts). Performed on lathes, turning centers, chucking machines, automatic screw machines and similar machines.