n TECHNOLOGY SPINDRIVE, A FINNISH COMPANY specialising in frictionless, oil-free active magnetic bearing (AMB) systems, has raised millions of dollars in new growth funding which it will use, among other things, to launch an AMB system aimed at applications below 100kW. Until now, AMB systems have been targeted mainly at larger applications such as turbo blowers, compressors and expanders. SpinDrive CEO Janne Heikkinen says that the company’s new Magma X100 system will bring the benefits of AMBs to applications “for which there has been no technical solution to date. Our new product is small in form factor, and a fraction of the cost of existing AMB systems. We believe the benefits of AMBs will revolutionise a broad new set of appliances and machinery.” Traditional industrial bearings rely on oil lubrication and mechanical contact between moving parts, leading to energy losses, wear and the need for frequent maintenance. These bearings’ friction-related inefficiencies consume large amounts of energy, impacting the efficiency of electric motors in which they are used. SpinDrive’s magnetic levitation bearings eliminate friction by suspending the rotating components without making physical contact. This frictionless operation can result in energy efficiency improvements of up to 50% over traditional bearings, as well as maintenance-free operation that can continue for more than 20 years. It can also lead to productivity gains, and removes the need for oil-based lubricants and their potential pollution and contamination issues. Traditional ball bearings used in highspeed applications need to be replaced every 12-18 months. SpinDrive's systems have integrated condition monitoring that does not need external sensors, and can cut maintenance costs by more than 80%, according to the company. The new Magma X100 product, developed with support from the European Commission, extends SpinDrive’s technology to ultra-highspeed machinery with outputs below 100kW, introducing the AMB technology to new markets and applications. It is the company’s smallest, most affordable, and efficient system to date, and has already received commercial orders ahead of its launch. The new funding will also be used to expand SpinDrive’s presence in the US, and to increase support for its growing US customer base. The funding follows a period of rapid scale-up for SpinDrive, whose original Magma X800 systems are already being used by customers in Germany, France, the US, Finland and other countries. “In the past two years, we’ve significantly increased our customer base to include several multi-billiondollar companies with stringent requirements,” Heikkinen reports. “This growth capital allows us to accelerate further our build-up of sales and customer services.” One existing SpinDrive installation is at a large paper mill in Turkey where a 1MW Runtech Systems RunEco EP turbo blower with an AMB system is delivering energy savings of more than 50% – equivalent to nearly a thousand tonnes of CO2 mitigation per machine per year. “Integrating SpinDrive’s active magnetic bearing controller has resulted in a major leap-forward in sustainable production in the paper mills of our customers,” says Runtech’s business director, Ville Lahdensuo. “We’ve seen exceptional energy efficiency and reliability from the solution in continuous operation. What’s more, we’ve been able to make significant savings by reducing costs from maintenance.” SpinDrive says it has seen growing interest from the US, both through direct customers and via European OEM partners with US operations. The company’s systems are being adopted in sectors such as industrial cooling, heat pumps, wastewater management, and semiconductor manufacturing, where energy efficiency and reliability are critical. To build on this momentum, SpinDrive plans to establish a US office in 2026 to provide local support and strengthen partnerships with North American manufacturers. SpinDrive hopes that its technology will be helping to mitigate 500 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually by 2050. https://spindrive.fi Multi-million investment brings magnetic bearings to smaller machines AI-powered camera automates inspections that were too complex November/December 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com 20 OMRON HAS ANNOUNCED an AI-powered machine vision system which, it claims, will open up new possibilities for manufacturers of all sizes. It will enable them to automate inspections that were previously considered too complex or costly, helping to ensure product quality, cut waste, and maintain compliance with regulations. The FHV7-AI detection camera combines AI-driven inspection capabilities with a simple user interface and a compact, all-inone design – saving engineering time and cutting the cost of ownership. It will allow users to inspect accuracy without complex set-ups or specialised expertise. By automatically selecting and learning from a few sample images, the camera eliminates the need for lengthy manual configuration. Set-up times are said to be cut from hours to minutes, while the system adapts continuously to product variations to ensure stable, reliable results. The camera is aimed at inspection tasks such as checking for missing parts, verifying product types, spotting dents, or ensuring that date codes are present and legible. On-screen instructions guide operators through the set-up process, from adjusting lighting and focus, to registering a reference image and teaching the system product variations. Even operators with limited vision experience can create inspection processes. The IP67-protected camera has built-in LED lighting and needs no external hardware, cutting set-up and running costs. https://industrial.omron.co.uk SpinDrive CEO Janne Heikkinen: revolutionising appliances and machinery
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