Magnetic Direct Drive Motors for Weed Whackers, Wind Turbines

If you’re looking for a green way to take care of your lawn, Montana-based CORE Outdoor Power has come up with an interesting alternative to gas powered motors that could also have wider application.

Designed by company founders Lincoln and Matt Jore, the Conductor Optimized Rotary Engine (CORE) uses printed circuit boards to generate motion in a wireless, ironless form factor. A circular, multi-layer PCB is sandwiched between ring-shaped magnets. A battery sends electricity through 10 layers of copper conductors, which spins the magnets and turns the motor.

Currently, the company offers the motor as part of its Power Lok Drive Unit, which can be connected to blower, string trimmer, and hedge trimmer attachments.

The company claims to have developed motors that can produce up to 4,000 hp. Parent company Core Motion Inc. also has a wind generation division, Boulder Wind Power, which will use the same basic motor concept for wind turbines. The direct drive generator technology touted by the company boasts the ability to deliver the same torque with half the mass of comparably rated iron-core direct drive generators. A 12-m diameter space-frame generator is currently being tested.

Source: Treehugger.com