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Unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, drones, mini helicopters: Whatever you want to call them, they are useful for much more than just amateur photography. They offer enormous potential for future applications in the areas of inspection, agriculture, security, and small-scale freight.
The market is young and highly dynamic, with a lot of startups. maxon is taking an active role too. Following the industry’s initial ventures and a few high-profile crashes, the requirements placed on unmanned aerial vehicles and their components have increased. maxon has the necessary high-quality drives and the knowledge to develop specialized drone motors.
In 2019, a number of initial models were constructed for special projects, together with matching controllers. Since then, many tests have been carried out in the laboratory and designs have been revised. New drives for customer projects are in development. At the same time, the aim from the very beginning was to learn as much as possible from experts. This is why maxon’s aerospace people have been working closely with drone specialists and Swiss colleges such as the EPFL in Lausanne, as well as with propeller manufacturers and customers.
In the drone market, the motor is not the only thing that matters. What is far more important is the perfect interplay of BLDC motors, motor controllers, and matching propellers. That is the only way to get the most out of the system in terms of thrust and energy efficiency. This system concept is also becoming increasingly important in other markets. This is one reason why maxon has established business units that specifically focus on Aerospace, Industrial Automation, Medical, and Mobility Solutions. The specialized staff understand the requirements for systems in those areas.
Incidentally, the most talked-about drone at the moment is controlled by six maxon DC motors. Find out more about "Ingenuity" on Mars.
For more information: aerospace.maxongroup.com
