User Case Study: Maple helps Rotalink reduce development time and cost in micro motor production

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Rotalink, the producer of a wide range of miniature power transmission products, used Maple™ - Maplesoft™’s mathematics software for engineering applications – in the design and simulation of a new AC miniature motor. The use of Maple helped the company reduce time-to-market and development cost.

Rotalink is a UK-based company that designs and produces miniature power transmission products such as motors, gearboxes, and control electronics. Applications where these products are used include vending machines, automatic retailing machines, peristaltic pumps, and photocopiers.

The traditional way of testing motors is to build physical prototypes and then analyze their performance. With Maple, Rotalink was able to fully simulate the operation of the motor during the design phase. The process involves complex differential equations for the calculation of rotor inertia, flux linkage (a fundamental equation with third harmonics), detent torque (fundamental with second harmonic), and applied voltage with magnitude and phase. “The set of equations that describe the motion of the motor are extremely complex,” said John Lines, Technical Manager at Rotalink. “With Maple, we were able to perform these compound calculations and create models in significantly lesser time.”

The full simulation model of a new AC motor for peristaltic pumps, which typically takes several days to complete, was implemented in only a few days. “We benefited a lot from the technical service provided by people like Dr. Samir Khan at Maplesoft,” said Lines. “Dr. Khan and others helped us to effectively use the dsolve command in Maple, which automatically chooses the right algorithm for solving differential equations, be it for numeric or symbolic solutions.” The plotting capabilities of the software allowed Rotalink teams to accurately analyse the behaviour of the new motor.

“Maple’s differential equation solving capabilities are the most advanced in the market. Applications such as electric motors, electronics, or mechanical systems benefit tremendously from these solving functions,” added Dr. Khan.

With the use of Maple, Rotalink hopes to eliminate the use of prototypes, thus significantly reducing development costs and further contributing to the company's goal of providing the most cost effective miniature power transmission solution.

About Rotalink
Rotalink is a world-leader in the design and manufacture of miniature transmission products. Its product range includes shaded poles, unidirectional or reversible AC motors, permanent or hybrid stepping motors, and brushed DC motors. Rotalink differentiates itself through a wide range of off-the-shelf market-oriented products that involve high research and development investments.