Drives and Magnetics

Electric Drives
With a specialised group of engineers and technical specialists, Conekt has an extensive history of designing, optimising and testing electro-magnetic devices.  These devices include motors, actuators and sensors, along with their control, drive electronics and materials.

• Motors -  Brushed and brushless permanent magnet (AC and DC control) / switched reluctance / induction
• Solenoids - Novel topology design and performance optimisation
• Drives - Power electronics, control and sensing / sensorless systems
• Magnetic Materials - Selection, characterisation, heat treatment, effects of manufacturing operations, specification development
• Prototyping - Build, test (eg dynamometers, programmable drive / control units)
• Quality control - Materials, components and final products
• Simulation Tools - Dynamic electromagnetic finite element analysis, system simulations, circuit simulations, commercial and in-house software

Electromagnetic Actuators
Conekt specialises in novel design and optimisation approaches to meet challenging specifications.  By combining magnetic design, magnetic materials, electronics, control and sensing expertise, we are able to meet specific customer requirements.

With in-house prototyping facilities, we are able to build and carry out testing as required.  We can also develop quality control methods for components and final products.

World-leading simulation tool set:

• 2 & 3 dimensional finite element based electro-magnetic simulation includes long-stroke and rotational motion, drive circuits, external forces, eddy-currents, non-linear properties
• System simulations – Actuator / ECU / Control – (e.g. SaberTM and SimulinkTM)
• Complex simulation models of electric motor-drive systems

Conekt has skills in optimising the motor control and power electronic design for low-cost high-performance electromagnetic actuators. Techniques including position sensorless control have been successfully developed along with motor control algorithms that allow operation with low acoustic noise and low torque ripple (while maximising the system's output power).

Magnetic Materials
Conekt is a centre of expertise for the characterisation, selection, specification and the quality control of
materials in electromagnetic devices.  The range of magnetic property measures include:

• Soft-, permanent- and non- magnetic materials
• Fast turn-round of standard measurements, backed by reliable repeatability and correlation with labs world-wide
• Performance of materials and components (eg magnet segments, solenoid stators) under operating conditions
• Data for design and simulation, selection of material + supplier + processing, quality control

Collaborating with a range of suppliers and academics Conekt stays abreast of material developments to ensure customers are at the leading edge of their industry.

For more information on Conekt’s drives and magnetics capabilities, please contact us.