ThinGap participated in the 36th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs on August 24-26, 2021. The company was represented at the show by its CEO, John Baumann and Matt Panesis, its lead Applications Engineer. Additional members of ThinGap network of sales representatives were present at the show. In addition to meeting potential customers, domestic and international Space agencies, and industry partners, ThinGap proudly demonstrated a working unit of its recently released H-LSI 75-12, a turnkey Direct Drive Motor Assembly based on the company’s slotless motor technology.

John Baumann, ThinGap’s CEO, commented on the event, “After the last year and a half, it’s great to be back out on the road and meeting with customers, especially those in the critical Space sector. It was beneficial to not only meet with our customers and the Government sponsors, but also to network with industry partners and would-be collaborators.”

ThinGap slotless motors are widely used in many space applications, including Reaction Wheels, Control Moment Gyroscopes, Gimbals, Point-and-Track SATCOM, Pumps and other precision actuation functions need in satellites and spacecraft. For vacuum-compatible motor kits, ThinGap will provide a custom variant of its commercial off-the-shelf motor. With these modifications, the motor kits can address the need for various program specifications, including low outgassing materials, specialty electronics, and in some cases, redundant stator windings to provide mission-critical assurance.

Space Symposium, held at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, has brought together space leaders from around the world to discuss, address and plan for the future of space since the inaugural event in 1984. In recent years, the Space Foundation team has welcomed more than 14,000 people from around the world, including speakers, attendees, exhibitors, volunteers, educators, and students. Space Symposium has become widely known as the premier U.S. space policy and program forum for information on and interaction among all sectors of space.

ThinGap has been covered in Surgical Robotics Technology as a leader regarding high-performance motor solutions for surgical robots.

Robert Mastromattei has showcased ThinGap’s frameless motors as being the ideal solution for high-precision surgical robotic applications in his latest publication on the website. After analyzing desired motor performance, focusing on characteristics such as zero-cogging, and large internal diameter, ThinGap’s LS series of motors are presented as the best solution for high-precision surgical applications.

Mastromattei details:

“A traditional frameless motor is shown below. The motor shown in Figure 2 is a slotless LS Series motor from ThinGap.  These motors have zero cogging and a large through hole. Km of these motors rivals some traditional slotted (or toothed) brushless permanent magnet motors.

Figure 2 Slotless Frameless Torque motor Example

Figure 3 below is a compact integrated Robot Joint for Surgical Robotics. It uses a frameless torque motor kit, high resolution medium accuracy absolute encoder on the input. It has a high ration zero backlash precision gear and a high accuracy absolute encoder on its output.”

Figure 3  Highly integrated Robot Joint

Source: Robert Mastromattei, Surgical Robotics Technology, July 2021. Link

ThinGap’s LS Series of slotless motor kits range in size from 25 to 267 mm outer diameter and continuous torque from 0.1 to 12.0 N-m. The LS motor offers torque performance equivalent to traditional frameless motor kits available on the market, unlike other slotless motor solutions which force a tradeoff between torque output and smoothness. With standard and modified standard configurations, the product line will cover voltages from 7-285 volts and current from 3-12 amps.