Integrated Motor Controllers and Inverters
Custom designed motor controllers, integrated into your pump, motor or product, to your specification
Motor control electronics designed to fit your product, not the other way round.
When the controller lives inside the pump housing, on the motor casing or on your own PCB, you lose the separate enclosure, the cable runs and the assembly steps that come with them. The result is a smaller, cleaner product that's quicker to build and harder to assemble wrongly.
Zikodrive designs and manufactures integrated controllers for brushless DC, stepper and asynchronous motors, from [X V to Y V] and up to [Z W]. We work with OEMs at the volumes that suit them, from pilot batches to ongoing production, without the minimum order quantities of the large drive makers.
A motor controller inside the pump
Putting the controller inside the pump casing lets the fluid you're already moving do some of the cooling. Wherever possible, we position the power stage close to the fluid path so heat goes into the flow rather than building up in a sealed enclosure.
The metal housing also helps with EMC compliance, and the end user gets a single unit with one cable instead of a pump and a separate drive box.
Motor Controllers with a motor
Where the controller mounts to the motor, the casing becomes the heatsink. Combined with potting or a suitable fixing method, this improves both thermal performance and resistance to vibration and moisture.
It also turns the motor and drive into one tested, ready-to-fit assembly.
On your PCB
If your product already has a control board, we can design the motor controller as a module or "shield" that plugs straight onto it. We can also take it a step further and design a single board that combines the motor drive with other functions of your product, cutting part count and assembly time.
Connector type and position, top or bottom side, are chosen to suit how your board is built and assembled. Where full integration isn't practical, we also offer DIN-rail mounted designs for cabinet installations.
Designed to be assembled right first time
As manufacturers ourselves, we design for your production line as well as ours. Polarised and keyed connectors mean a controller can only go in one way. Pre-wired assemblies remove manual wiring steps.
Every board is built and tested in our own facility in West Yorkshire under our ISO 9001 quality management system.
FAQs
The specific thermal management benefits depend significantly on the design of the wider product. However, it is possible to achieve significant thermal management improvements in a number of ways. For example, controllers for pumps can be designed in such a way that fluid can flow close to the controller in normal use, enabling the fluid to act as a thermal transfer medium for the pump. In other cases, for example with motor casing integration, the motor controller can be designed to be mounted to the motor casing in a way that acts as a heatsink for the electronics. If used with potting compounds and/or other fixing methods, this can improve performance still further. Finally, where larger products are being manufactured we can develop controllers that can be directly integrated into existing thermal management systems (for example air or liquid based cooling). By working with you to understand your requirements, we can design the electronics in a way that enables the higher temperature parts of the controller to be positioned appropriately for your product.
Absolutely, yes! All Zikodrive Motor Controllers are designed and manufactured in the UK under our ISO-9001 accredited quality management system.
An integrated motor controller is a motor controller that has been specifically designed to be integrated into an existing product. For example a motor controller PCB that has been integrated into the casing design of a motor, pump or other device. There are a number of key advantages to using integrated motor control electronics in these situations, some of which are obvious, some of which are a little more nuanced. These are;
- Product design can look cleaner and tidier.
- The overall product is typically easier to setup and operate for the end user as much of the pre-assembly wiring has been done.
- Compliance with EMC standards can be easier to achieve as motor or pump casings can improve EMC performance.
If controllers are designed to be integrated into existing PCBs or DIN-rail systems then this can significantly reduce assembly time as connector choices can be made that enable quick integration. Equally, opportunities for error can be reduced by implementing polarity specific designs or connector choices so assembly staff can only assemble the controller in one way. Connectors can be designed to be mounted on the top or bottom side of the motor controller depending on your requirements to enable easy integration with other PCB designs.
As manufacturers ourselves, we fully understand the importance of reducing risk and defects through lean processes in manufacturing and we're happy to work with you to deliver a product which meets your requirements.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation on integrating motor controllers into your product design.