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Frequently Asked Questions

There are many considerations and variables when sizing a motor for an application.  To start we need to know about the load that the motor is moving, this includes the inertia, friction torque, viscous torque, and load torque. From there we can analyze the motion profile of the application, and this will vary with the type of motion. It can be a point-to-point move or an acceleration to a constant velocity or some combination of both. Determining the accelerations and decelerations to reach the various positions and velocities is important as well. Once the load and motion profile have been determined, continuous and peak torque requirements can be calculated. For a more information on motor sizing and a walkthrough of an example, read Optimal Motor Sizing.

We are always happy to help our customers size the proper motor for their applications. Please contact us for motor sizing support.

No. The drive needs to be supplied by the customer. Genesis Applications Engineers can provide guidance on choosing a suitable drive for your LDD or LDX motor. Contact us for more information.

Genesis direct drive motors are compatible with most industry-standard servo drives. We have verified compatibility with at least one model from each of the following manufacturers.

  • B&R
  • Beckhoff
  • Bosch Rexroth
  • Elmo
  • KEBA
  • Rockwell Automation
  • Schneider Electric
  • STXi Motion
  • Yaskawa

Drive compatibility is generally limited by the encoder communication protocols supported. Please contact the drive manufacturer for compatibility details.

LDD housed motors can be configured with one of the four encoder communication protocols listed below.
  • EnDat 2.2
  • BiSS-C®
  • HIPERFACE®
  • one cable technology with HIPERFACE DSL®
For more information, view our LDD specifications.

LDD direct drive motors offer various sizes and winding options for a range of high torque density applications. Motors can be configured with one of four encoder options. A holding brake can be integrated into the assembly if needed. Temperature sensors are included for temperature sensitive applications.
For more information, view our LDD specifications.

The holding torque of the brake is 18 Nm. The brake engages as soon as power is cutoff.

Dimensions and weights vary for each LDD frame size. For specific values, view our LDD specifications.

The LDD motors include one outer-diameter size with four length options.
For more information, visit our LDD Series product page.

Cogging torque is typically less than 5% of continuous torque.

Standard LDD motors have two winding options that are designed for 400-480 VAC and 200-230VAC. Other voltages can be used, but motor performance will be impacted. If you have voltage concerns, contact us for more information.

LDD motors are rated at 30,000 hours lifetime. This is significantly higher than a typical gearbox which is rated at 20,000 hours lifetime.

LDD housings are finished with a black anodized coating.

The thermal constraints of an LDD motor varies significantly on, the application environment, the housing dimensions, and the material. All LDD motors are tested with a representative heat sink to determine motor specifications. For more information, see LDD specifications.

LDD housed motors are BLAC, PMSM type motors. In general, servo drives designed for this type of motor can be used. Be aware that certain servo drives may require digital nameplates that are proprietary to the drive manufacturer.
Verify that the drive selected is compatible with one of the four encoder communication protocols offered in the LDD Series.
For drive commissioning, the following motor information is usually required.
  • Pole or pole-pair count
  • Rated current
  • Line-to-line resistance
  • Line-to-line inductance
If the selected servo drive does not support the reading of a digital nameplate from the encoder memory, the following encoder parameters will be needed for drive commissioning:
  • Encoder communication protocol
  • Resolution

For more information of motor specifications, go to LDD specifications.

LDD motors offer higher torque to length with a 50% reduction in length which decreases machine footprint. They are slightly larger in diameter (180mm vs. 110-130mm) and slightly heavier (10-15kg vs. 8-12kg) than some servo motor and gearbox combinations.

Frameless motor kits consists of an unhoused rotor and stator. They can also  include digital hall sensors for communication.
Integrating a frameless motor offers design flexibility to component integrators such as:
  • reducing the overall size of the joint;
  • offering a large through-hole for cable routing;
  • and removing the need for additional mechanical components that introduce resonances and instability to a system. For example, flexible couplings.

Faster settling times, reduced physical footprint, and low cost of ownership are only a few benefits of using a direct drive motor over a conventional gearmotor. Because the load is directly mounted to the rotor, transmission components like gearboxes, belts, and flexible couples can be eliminated for maximal stiffness and performance. This enables the system to achieve fast settling times for higher throughput.

Gearing can add significant weight and length to a system. Direct drive motors can provide similar levels of torque in smaller footprint.

Additionally, direct drive motors have a simplistic design. By eliminating the gearing component that requires maintenance of internal lubrication between parts, higher mean time before failure (MTBF) is achieved.

These are just a few benefits of using a direct drive motor. For a more in-depth list, review the Benefits of Direct Drive Motors.

No. LDD motors are direct drive and do not include gears or other transmission components.

In general, yes, however additional consideration is needed. LDD motors have exceptional performance in low speed, high torque applications. Therefore, lower gear ratios would pair best with LDD motors. If the intent is to use an LDD motor with a relatively high gear ratio and still achieve high output speed, then an assessment would need to be done to verify feasibility.

Please contact us to discuss the application requirements.

In certain cases, yes, however several things would need to be considered to select the correct LDD motor as a replacement.

For example, torque and speed requirements, available space, maximum allowable mass of the motor, maximum loads that need to be borne by the motor shaft and bearings, existing servo drive and available power all need to be considered.

Please contact us to discuss the application requirements.

LDD motors are certified to IP67 with additional raintight rating. This rating allows for liquid cleaning using non-corrosive cleaners at normal temperature and pressures. Typical applications are direct handling of baked goods and all types of secondary packaging. However, handling of raw meat may require stricter IP requirements.

Please refer to the LDD Series datasheet for allowable radial, thrust, and moment loads.

No. The servo drive would need to be external and supplied by the customer. Cables with flying leads can be purchased with an LDD motor to connect to the servo drive.

In most applications LDD motors will not require additional cooling and there are no built-in cooling systems. However, certain high temperature applications or applications requiring heavy duty cycles above the motor’s allowable continuous operation may require additional cooling.

Please contact us to discuss the application requirements.

The housing temperature of an LDD motor in operation will depend on several factors such as ambient temperature, amount of heat sinking provided by the machine/robot frame and whether active cooling such as a fan is being used.

In the LDD motor datasheet, under the stated conditions, continuous torque-speed curves are shown for each size of motor at several different coil temperatures. The maximum coil temperature is determined by the maximum allowable temperature of the encoder. In general, at any operating point along a continuous torque-speed curve, the motor housing temperature will be slightly less (typically 5 to 10ºC) than the corresponding coil temperature.

Cables can be purchased with LDD motors. They are easily field attachable to the connectors on the motor. For motors with EnDat2.2, BiSS-C and Hiperface sin/cos encoders, there will be two cables, a motor power cable, and an encoder cable. Motors with a Hiperface DSL encoder only need one cable. The standard cable terminations are flying leads. Drive side connectors for select servo drives may also be available.

Additional cable information can be found in the LDD User Manual.

Yes. However, without changing the winding configuration, the performance of an LDD motor will be limited if operated at a lower voltage than the design voltage.

Depending on your application, a different winding configuration may be more optimal for low voltage operation. The design voltages for LDD motors A and B windings are 480 VAC and 230 VAC respectively.

Please contact us to discuss your application requirements.

At a minimum, 8kHz is recommended.

Low PWM frequencies can introduce audible noise to your system and lead to undesired heating of the motor. Higher frequencies (e.g. 16kHz) are preferred as the highest possible performance of LDD motors can be achieved.

Unlike conventional housed motors, frameless motors can be mounted directly to the load. This eliminates the need for flexible couplings that add instability to a system because of its flexibility. This improved rigidity in the system directly results in improved control of the system which can mean quicker settling times and accuracy. Another benefit from the elimination of these additional mechanical components is increased mean time before failures, decreasing the cost of ownership.

For a more in-depth look at the benefits of using frameless motors, read our tech note.

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