TECHNOLOGY n 23 www.drivesncontrols.com June 2026 WEG HAS REACHED AN agreement with SpinDrive, the Finnish supplier of active magnetic bearing (AMB) systems, to integrate SpinDrive’s AMB and IoT condition-monitoring technologies into WEG motors to create oil-free drives that can operate for more than 20 years without maintenance. WEG and SpinDrive say their partnership paves the way for a new category of high-efficiency electric motors for high-volume industrial applications. As well as offering high reliability, the motors will cut energy losses, eliminate the need for oil-based lubrication systems, and reduce lifecycle emissions. SpinDrive estimates that by 2050 its technology could be eliminating 500 megatonnes of CO2 emissions a year. Industrial motors account for around half of all global electricity use, yet many still rely on frictionaffected, oil-lubricated systems that result in energy losses, downtime and the risk of contamination. By avoiding physical contact been a motor’s shaft and its stator, active bearings reduce wear, cut losses, and allow higher rotational speeds and increased power densities, resulting in much smaller motors. WEG and SpinDrive suggest that their collaboration positions AMBs to become the new standard for applications where efficiency, sustainability and performance are paramount. The built-in IoT capabilities will provide continuous condition and performance monitoring, effectively eliminating the need for maintenance. The partners plan to target applications that have oil contamination constraints, as well as machines working in harsh environments where reliability is essential, and uses where stringent efficiency mandates make conventional bearings hard to justify. Typical applications will include compressors, blowers, turbines, pumps and high-speed spindles. “The partnership with SpinDrive reinforces WEG’s strategy to accelerate industrial decarbonisation through more efficient and technologically advanced solutions,” says WEG’s vice-president of industrial motors, Rodrigo Fumo. “By combining SpinDrive’s expertise in active magnetic bearings with our global electric motor portfolio, we are taking an important step toward increasing energy efficiency, reducing environmental impacts, and supporting our customers on their journey toward more sustainable operations.” “Teaming up with WEG is a transformational step for SpinDrive,” adds the company’s CEO, Janne Heikkinen. “WEG’s leadership and reach, combined with our active magnetic bearing expertise and IoT condition-monitoring platform, means we can now bring our technology quickly to hundreds of thousands of motor installations.” The agreement with WEG follows an announcement by SpinDrive last year that it had raised millions of dollars to launch an active magnetic bearing system aimed at applications below 100kW. AMBs have previously been targeted mainly at larger applications. Motors with magnetic bearings will run maintenance-free for 20 years SpinDrive CEO Janne Heikkinen (left) with WEG VP, Rodrigo Fumo, at the Hannover Messe where they signed their deal A LONDON-HEADQUARTERED developer of lowemission powertrains has announced an electric motor that uses thin sheets of amorphous (noncrystalline) steel alloy for its stator, resulting in “industry-leading” efficiency levels of 98.2%. Horse Powertrain – which is 45% owned by Renault Group, 45% by the Chinese car-maker Geely, and 10% by Aramco – says that amorphous motor, aimed at hybrid vehicle transmission systems, will cut fuel consumption by 1%. Amorphous steel is characterised by its high conductivity, durability, strength and magnetic permeability. Exploiting these properties, Horse Powertrain has reduced the thickness of the steel layers that make up a motor stator to just 0.025mm – one tenth the thickness of the steel laminations used in traditional motors. Using the highly conductive material, the motor’s stator losses are said to be half those of comparable conventional motors, allowing it to achieve a claimed efficiency of 98.2%, while outputting its maximum power of 140kW at 360Nm. “The Amorphous Motor is an ideal tool to power a new generation of high-efficiency range extended EVs, hybrids, and plug-in hybrids, ensuring these technologies continue to play a substantial role in automotive’s decarbonisation journey,” says Horse Powertrain’s deputy chief technology officer, Ingo Scholten. https://horse-powertrain.com Motor with amorphous steel alloy stator achieves ‘market-leading’ 98.2% efficiency
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