Bodine Motors Combine Control, Motor and Gearhead

Bodine Electric Company expands the INTEGRAmotor product line to integrate electronic and mechanical motors into the same unit. Combining a speed control, brushless DC motor and gearhead into one product lowers engineering time and assembly costs while simplifying the wiring complexity and reducing panel space and the risks of electromagnetic interference, according to the company’s press release.

The new INTEGRAmotor gearmotors have a larger frame size that can be operated from a regulated 24V DC power supply, as well as an on-board PWM (pulse width modulation) control accepting inputs from an external motion controller or programmable logic controller (PLC). The control also has amplifier enable, direction input and dynamic braking. Bodine developed the new line for office equipment, packaging machines, conveyor systems, medical equipment, printing machinery and factory automation applications.

The company is responding to a growing industry demand for manufacturers to consolidate product designs and minimize the component parts. “Our experience with custom engineered control and gearmotor solutions helped us a great deal when we looked at integrating motor and control elements into one enclosure. We already knew how to work within tight limits of power consumption and thermal performance,” says Mike Marhoefer, manager of brushless DC technology and control development.