Efficiency

Feb 13 2023

Infinitum Named as a Finalist in the Prestigious 2023 Edison Awards

Austin, Texas – February 13, 2023 – (BUSINESS WIRE) — Infinitum, creator of the breakthrough air core motor, today announced it has been named a finalist in the 2023 Edison Awards. The company is being honored in the Sustainability category for its Aircore EC motor designed for commercial and industrial applications. The Edison Awards™, named after the American inventor Thomas Alva Edison, recognizes some of the most innovative products and business leaders in the world with past winners including Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, General Motors and Genentech. The prestigious accolades honor excellence in new product and service development, marketing, design and innovation.

Currently electric motors consume 53% of the world’s electricity. More than 800m motors are sold yearly, a number that is increasing 10% each year with electrification. Today, the majority of motors end up in landfills after 10-20 years, but Infinitum’s advances in circular motor design are allowing for extended component life and reuse.

The Aircore EC motor replaces heavy iron found in traditional motors with a lightweight printed circuit board (PCB) stator that is 10x more reliable. The motor is 50 percent smaller and lighter, uses 66 percent less copper and no iron, and consumes 10 percent less energy. Its modular design makes the motor easy to maintain and allows components to be reused multiple times to serve future generations, keeping the motor in service and out of landfills.

Aircore EC also includes a unique, integrated Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) which takes advantage of silicon carbide (SiC) technology to provide precise control over motor operations and saves upwards of 65 percent of energy use depending on the application.

“The world is electrifying rapidly and requires motors that go beyond efficiency to serve the next generation,” said Ben Schuler, founder and CEO of Infinitum. “Our team is incredibly honored to be an Edison Awards finalist and recognized for our sustainable motors that are designed for reuse and can power the world with less energy, raw materials and waste.”

All nominations are reviewed by the Edison Awards Steering Committee with the final ballot being determined by an independent judging panel. The panel is comprised of more than 3,000 senior business executives and academics from the fields of product development, design, engineering, science, marketing and education, as well as past winners.

Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will be announced at the Edison Awards Gala on Thursday, April 20, 2023 in Fort Myers, FL. For more information on the Edison Awards, please visit www.edisonawards.com. Applications for the 2024 awards will open midyear, 2023.

To learn more about Infinitum’s motors and their sustainable design, visit https://goinfinitum.com/home-go-beyond-video/.

About Infinitum

Infinitum has raised the bar for a new generation of motor that is better for the planet and people. The company’s patented air core motors offer superior performance in half the weight and size, at a fraction of the carbon footprint of traditional motors, making them pound for pound the most efficient in the world. Infinitum motors open up sustainable design possibilities for the machines we rely on to be smaller, lighter and quieter, improving our quality of life while also saving energy and reducing waste. Based in Austin, Texas, Infinitum is led by a team of industry experts and pioneers. To learn more, visit goinfinitum.com.

About The Edison Awards

Established in 1987, the Edison Awards is a program conducted by Edison Universe, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering future innovators. The annual competition honors excellence in new product and service development, marketing, design and innovation. Past award recipients include Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and leaders of global corporations such as Coca-Cola, Genentech, General Electric, General Motors, IBM and Campbell Soup Co. In 2022, the Edison Awards introduced the inaugural Lewis Latimer Fellowship program designed to celebrate, connect and bring together a community of innovative Black thought leaders. For more information, visit www.edisonawards.com.

Feb 07 2023

Infinitum Announces Strategic Technology Collaboration with Infineon at AHR Expo 2023

Atlanta – February 7, 2023 – Today at the AHR Expo, Infinitum announced a strategic technology collaboration with Infineon Technologies, a global semiconductor leader in power systems and IoT that drives decarbonization and digitalization with its products and solutions. Infinitum is the creator of the breakthrough, sustainable air core motor, and this collaboration solidifies Infinitum’s production of sustainable, high-efficiency motors that reduce carbon footprint using Infineon’s solutions.

Infinitum’s motor systems were recognized with three 2023 CES Innovation Award designations for outstanding design and engineering in the sustainability and embedded technologies categories. Infinitum’s patented air-core motor design replaces heavy iron used in traditional motors with a lightweight, printed circuit board (PCB).

The company’s motors are 50 percent smaller and lighter, 10 percent more efficient and use 66 percent less copper than traditional motors. They are also designed and manufactured with a sustainable, circular lifecycle where the motor’s modular architecture allows the housing, rotors, and stators to be reused multiple times, giving parts a second and third life to serve future generations.

Infinitum’s motor systems include an integrated, variable frequency drive (VFD) made using silicon carbide and other embedded technologies that result in precise motor control, optimal power and energy savings.

Infineon is a leading provider of silicon carbide (SiC) chips, with its first SiC chip introduced over 20 years ago. SiC brings power switching of voltages at 650 V and above for a variety of applications to operate at high temperatures and in harsh environments. Infineon’s CoolSiC™ semiconductors also offer added value to the customers like Infinitum providing better efficiency, size and cost compared to silicon-based solutions.

“Infinitum’s ground-breaking motor controls and hardware enable next-generation solutions in industrial applications for some of the most rigorous environments,” said Michael Williams, Director of Product Marketing, Industrial Power Control Division, Infineon Technologies. “Infineon’s CoolSiC technology and motor control expertise help Infinitum achieve improvements in energy efficiency and controllability over standard induction motors. We look forward to a long-term collaboration with Infinitum to bring next-generation energy-efficient motor controls to market with silicon carbide and other advanced materials.”

“Infineon is a primary provider of SiC MOSFETS and other key semiconductor components that greatly contribute to our motor’s class leading efficiency,” said Rick Tewell, president of Infinitum. “We’re honored to have Infineon’s support as we accelerate and scale production of our motors that can power the world with greater efficiency and less waste.”

Infinitum will be showcasing its line of Aircore EC motors in booth C6131 at AHR Expo in Atlanta Feb. 6-8. Infineon will also be showcasing its inverterization technology and the Infinitum Aircore EC motor for commercial and industrial applications in booth B4110.

About Infinitum
Infinitum has raised the bar for a new generation of motor that is better for the planet and people. The company’s patented air core motors offer superior performance in half the weight and size, at a fraction of the carbon footprint of traditional motors, making them pound for pound the most efficient in the world. Infinitum motors open up sustainable design possibilities for the machines we rely on to be smaller, lighter and quieter, improving our quality of life while also saving energy and reducing waste. Based in Austin, Texas, Infinitum is led by a team of industry experts and pioneers. To learn more, visit goinfinitum.com.

About Infineon
Infineon Technologies AG is a global semiconductor leader in power systems and IoT. Infineon drives decarbonization and digitalization with its products and solutions. The company has around 56,200 employees worldwide and generated revenue of about €14.2 billion in the 2022 fiscal year (ending 30 September). Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the OTCQX International over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: IFNNY). Further information is available at www.infineon.com.

May 01 2022

Sustainable Power Generation | Five Ways to Design Products that Go Beyond Efficiency

By Bahar Anvari, Senior Electromagnetic Engineer, Infinitum

In 2021, Winter Storm Uri, what Texans refer to as “Snowmageddon,” left more than 3.5 million residents without power for multiple days. Many residents relied on alternative fuel sources for cooking, heating, and powering their household appliances and communications devices.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, extreme weather events have increased by more than 4 percent over the past four decades, with high-impact disasters increasing significantly since 2007. With the rise of severe weather and natural disasters, it should come as no surprise that home generators are in high demand.

A Propane Education and Research Council study found that 23 percent of respondents purchased a generator in the past two years, and 54 percent considered one. New research suggests that the global generator sales market will reach 28.6 billion USD by 2027, up from an estimated 21.6 billion in 2022.

While generators have become more energy-efficient over time, requiring less and less fuel, there is still work to do for this growing product segment for homes and businesses. NEMA’s “Beyond Efficiency” initiative challenges members to develop innovative products for increased energy savings and reliability. Manufacturers of newer, more innovative power generators must also think beyond component efficiency and take a systems-level view for even greater sustainability and reliability. This may involve sustainable manufacturing practices, products that reduce energy demand and emissions across the system’s life, and ways to incorporate end-of-life recyclability.

At Infinitum Electric, we have always strived to design electric motors that go beyond efficiency, with sustainability and reliability being a top priority. For example, our alternators developed for power generation purposes are one-third the size and weight of a traditional alternator yet produce the same amount of power with high reliability and lower operating costs over the system’s life.

Below are five considerations for designing products that go “beyond efficiency” based on our experience designing next-generation alternators:

Lighten the Load

Consider developing products with lighter materials. Most generators are large and heavy for job sites in construction and on oil fields, making them difficult and costly to haul. We replaced bulky, heavy copper materials with a smaller, lighter-weight printed circuit board to design a better alternator. This lightweight material can generate the same amount of power as traditional alternators in a significantly smaller and lighter package than conventional alternators. As a result, transportation of portable generators is more sustainable, and the installation of permanent generators is greatly simplified. Furthermore, a traditional stator features a laminated steel core with copper windings, and up to a third of the motor, losses are caused by eddy currents in that steel core. When the core and copper windings are replaced by copper traces etched into a PCB, the core losses are eliminated, which provides a higher efficiency motor.

Make it Modular

Evaluate options to leverage modular architecture. With a modular design, engineers can gain the flexibility to build multi-stator, multi-rotor alternators to best meet power generation needs. Modularity offers the ability to assemble products on-site, speed delivery time, reduce shipping and logistics costs and the associated emissions. Segmented parts also allow users to easily replace components when they fail and recycle parts that are removed, rather than throwing them in a landfill.

Double Down on Durability

Examine options for materials and designs that increase durability. We removed the need for a complex exciter by using permanent magnets — improving reliability through a simplified design while achieving better performance. On top of that, etching copper onto the printed circuit board improves long-term durability because the coils are perfectly symmetrical and fully insulated, eliminating thermal-induced stress and increasing the reliability over the product’s life.

Simplify the Supply Chain

Determine which materials can be easily produced to eliminate supply chain dependencies. For example, any local contract printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer can make our alternators on common PCB fabrication equipment. PCBs can be built in several regions globally and allow for production closer to where products are consumed, also reducing lead times, shipping and logistics costs, and associated emissions. Simplified supply chains improve the reliability and resilience of products.

Step up the Control

Evaluate new methods and technologies that improve power control. Our alternators use permanent magnets for field excitation, eliminating the field coils, brushless exciter, and automatic voltage regulator (AVR). They’re also tied to the grid through an efficient AC/AC converter that provides fast and precise voltage and reactive power regulation in a smaller and lighter package. Improved power controls reduce wasted electricity and improve overall system efficiency. The motor is also controlled with an integrated drive, a standard six-pulse drive topology using highly efficient Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET switching devices, which enable higher switching frequency and more robust motor control.

The next generation deserves products that go beyond efficiency, and designing products that incorporate reliability and sustainability will require some rethinking. These five considerations can help us all think through the parameters that matter most as we strive to design and deploy better products for the planet over the system’s life. ei

Read the full article at NEMA.

Sep 12 2021

Beyond Efficiency: Five Attributes to Consider for Energy Savings and Reliability

by Shams Shaikh, Director of Product and Strategy, Infinitum Electric

As we think about the next generation of manufacturing, the 2021 NEMA “Beyond Efficiency” initiative challenges Members to develop innovative products for increased energy savings and reliability. And from Infinitum Electric’s experience developing next-generation motors, we believe this goal hits precisely where the future of electrical manufacturing is heading.

Over the years, efficiency has become standard for many products, but efficiency alone misses the real opportunity. Energy-efficiency levels in most electrical products and components are reaching their technological and economically justifiable limits, but systems composed of these components can still be optimized further to provide increased energy savings, productivity, and reliability. When designing and developing products, the real goal should consider the total energy consumed at the system level vs. component-level efficiency.

As businesses prepare for more workers returning to office buildings, let’s consider heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) fan-motor drive systems as an example. You have several ways to optimize the design of the fan-motor drive system for system-level efficiency:

• Option A is to optimize the fan design for airflow requirements, with more degrees of freedom in design when you deploy a variable speed motor to allow different sizes of fan wheels.
• Option B is to improve the motor efficiency to provide optimum power for the same amount of airflow.
• Option C is to choose a motor system that enables ease of installation and maintenance to lower overall lifetime costs.

Many of the attributes in next-generation motors that contribute to energy efficiency also make them more reliable and easier to manage, which reduces lifetime operating costs and enables a faster return on investment (ROI). Next-generation motors are delivering on just that for many HVAC systems in the field, and their attributes consist of:

1. Compact Form Factor
The choice of a small and lightweight motor affects the overall efficiency of a fan array system and, therefore, the electricity consumed. The ability to use lighter, smaller equipment leads to reduced installation costs, as larger systems require heavy equipment to install and have higher associated manufacturing costs.

2. Integrated Motor and Drive
With an integrated drive, the motor speed is fully optimizable, and there is no need to purchase or mount the drive externally, which reduces the amount of wiring in the system. It also shortens the commissioning time for setting up a fan or pump application.

3. Horsepower
Higher horsepower (HP) motors make fan systems more efficient. The optimal case is a small form factor motor at a larger HP rating.

4. Reliability by Design
Windings are typically the main point of failure for motors, but new copper-etched printed circuit boards (PCBs) increase reliability and allow for embedded sensors. PCB stators also eliminate one of the most common causes of motor failure: unbalanced voltages and currents induced in the stator and rotor cores due to high-frequency harmonics, which can degrade the bearing lubricants and eventually lead to bearing failure.

5. Connectivity
Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and predictive maintenance can ensure the system is continually operating efficiently to maximize energy savings and minimize expensive and inconvenient downtime.

As mentioned above, there are many ways to optimize the design of the fan-motor drive system for system-level efficiency. Choosing a motor system built for reliability and ease of maintenance is an excellent way to optimize operating costs and energy savings. Using next-generation motors has also contributed to much faster ROI through better HVAC system performance, greater intelligence for improved reliability, lower maintenance and operating costs, and energy savings over the system’s life.

Going beyond efficiency requires thinking about the whole, rather than the sum of the parts and their total impact on users and the environment over the system’s life. If all of us innovate with this in mind, we will create products needed for the next generation.

Read the full article at NEMA.

May 19 2021

Printed Circuit Board Stator Maximizes Efficiency in Motor Applications

By Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio

Infinitum Electric, a Texas-based company founded in 2016 with the mission to power the electric revolution, has patented a stator technology destined to change the electrification landscape, allowing for smarter, lighter and quieter electric motors and generators with unparalleled efficiency and durability.

Twenty-five trillion kilowatt hours of electricity are consumed per year, of which 53 percent is consumed by traditional electric motors. Maximizing efficiency, while reducing carbon footprint, is therefore a mandatory task.

“Being able to create incremental improvements in efficiency can have a dramatic impact on electricity consumption on a global level,” stated Ben Schuler, co-founder and CEO at Infinitum Electric in an interview with EE Times.

Infinitum Electric (IE) has developed an ultra-compact and highly efficient electric motor which achieves a weight reduction of up to 50%. The approach adopted to obtain a motor with lower weight and smaller size was to reduce the use of metals, transforming the classic stator into a real printed circuit board (PCB). This solution, in addition to allowing a saving of mass and dimensions, promises to reduce the use of copper and iron.

“We have eliminated all the external iron and copper windings present in the stator. The copper circuit is integrated into a single printed circuit board, thus reducing the energy losses associated with the core,” said Ben Schuler.

The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) stator, shown in Figure 1, also allows for mounting sensors and other electronic components directly on the same PCB, unlike traditional electric motors where additional components must be installed separately. The stator, integrating the entire coil, guarantees greater efficiency (at least 2% more efficient than a regular electric motor, which already has a 95% efficiency rate) and duration by virtue of a coefficient of thermal expansion that remains uniform in all points.

*Figure 1: the Printed Circuit Board stator*

In addition to reducing the weight by 50% compared to a traditional solution, the IE Printed Circuit Board stator is able to eliminate torque ripple. This aspect is very important as it allows, in turn, to obtain quieter engines even when operated at low rpm. In addition, the Print Circuit Board drastically improves the insulation of the copper conductors, protecting them from potential short circuits or other faults. As if that were not enough, the Printed Circuit Board stator developed by IE is 15% cheaper and has no cogging torque, an aspect that allows for the extension of the drive system lifetime and reduces noise by up to 15 dB compared to an iron core motor.

A dedicated software application developed by Infinitum Electric, IE AutoFLUX, simplifies and accelerates the design and development phases of a new Printed Circuit Board motor. As a matter of fact, IE AutoFlux motor design software enables users to input application requirements (such as size, speed, power, performance, and cost), evaluate design options based on these requirements, and automatically generate Printed Circuit Board design files for production within few minutes.

IE Product Families

The Infinitum Electric product portfolio includes three device families:

IEs, a general-purpose series which addresses applications such as fans, pumps, and compressors. This product line is available in the 5-15 horsepower (HP) range and delivers the market’s most comprehensive line of electric motors with class-leading efficiency and IoT capabilities in a package that is 50 percent lighter and smaller. Drastically reduced acoustic noise makes this the quietest motor system on the market
IEm, the mobility series. When power density and performance matter most, the IEm series provides premium performance at a fraction of the physical weight. Removal of the conventional laminated stator core significantly reduces mass and the elimination of core losses improves efficiency to levels that are otherwise unobtainable. This product line applies to a variety of propulsion and auxiliary applications for automotive, aerospace, power sports and marine industries
IEh, the consumer products series, intended for applications such as vacuums, dish-washers, and consumer appliances. The removal of the laminated stator core eliminates cogging and torque ripple which drastically reduces acoustic noise. Integrated electronics and embedded IoT circuity allow the motor to stay connected to the outside world
IEx, the hazardous applications series. IE motors are designed to be compliant with Class 1/Div 1 and Class 1/Div 2 applications. The IEx Series is inherently spark proof and more cost effective than comparable hazardous rated products. The patented Printed Circuit Board stator produces perfectly symmetrical stator windings that are equally and fully insulated, resulting in higher reliability and longer lifetime. The IEx Series is applied in a variety of pump and blower applications for hydrogen, natural gas, petroleum, and chemical industries
IEq, a smart motor platform with IoT and advanced drive features. The IEq platform is a visionary offering comprised of cutting-edge motor controllers, industry-leading communications options, and user-centric cloud capabilities.

The IEs Series motor product line has been recently expanded with new power and frame sizes to better address the requirements for fans, pumps, compressors, conveyors, and general-purpose applications (Figure 2). Infinitum Electric’s IEs Series product line is now available in the 5-15 horsepower (HP) range. By broadening the range of power beyond 7.5 and 10 HP, Infinitum Electric is delivering the market’s most comprehensive line of electric motors with class-leading efficiency and IoT capabilities in a package that is 50 percent lighter, smaller and significantly quieter than conventional motors.

“Building on the success of our IEs Series for the HVAC industry’s leading manufacturers, we’re excited to drive innovation further with a compelling range of higher efficiency, lightweight motors,” said Ben Schuler, founder and chief executive officer, Infinitum Electric. “Extended power and frame options open design possibilities for a wider variety of use cases. Now fan and pump designers can take advantage of the IEs family’s low noise profile, lighter weight, smaller size and higher efficiency to differentiate even more of their next generation products.”

IEq motor controllers are variable speed drives that feature ultra-efficient silicon carbide (SiC) technology. The IEq controllers are physically integrated into IEs and IEx series motors resulting in a compact motor-drive package suitable for direct-drive applications.

“In order to support variable frequency drive (VFD) control, we have to drive the motor with a very high switching rate, and we have opted to use ultra-high efficiency silicon carbide devices able to switch at up to 200 kHz frequencies,” said Ben Schuler.

The integrated electronics and embedded IoT circuitry allow the motor to stay connected to the outside world, providing data collection and performance monitoring. The cloud platform provides real-time insights into motor performance and operation, enabling remote monitoring and over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates.

Read the full article at Power Electronics News.