Announcements

Slotless Motors For Underwater Applications

With nearly 70% of Earth’s surface covered in water, demand for subsea technologies is rapidly growing—expected to surpass $10 billion by the 2030s. From manned submersibles to ROVs and UUVs, all these systems require smooth, reliable motion. ThinGap’s high-efficiency, zero-cogging slotless motor kits are engineered to meet those demands. ThinGap’s slotless brushless DC motors are increasingly being used in direct-drive underwater thrusters. Thanks to a high torque-to-diameter ratio, they eliminate the need for gearboxes—reducing complexity and failure points while saving weight. This makes them ideal for compact, high-reliability applications in both commercial and defense settings. ThinGap’s LS Series motor kits are especially well-suited to these conditions. Their lightweight, ironless stator architecture enables passive cooling using ambient seawater, and the low drag design minimizes resistance in liquid environments. The ring-shaped geometry also allows for flexible propulsion configurations—either with an impeller integrated inside the rotor or a propeller mounted externally. Backed by over two decades of engineering expertise, ThinGap’s LS and TG Series motor kits are already deployed in a variety of marine systems. With outer diameters ranging from 25 mm to 393 mm and customizable features to suit depth, material, and performance requirements, these motor kits can be tailored to meet the rigorous demands of underwater applications.

Renewable Energy Innovations, Generated by ThinGap

With the growing urgency for sustainable energy, pioneers are innovating new ways to harness the power of ocean waves.  Southern California based Ocean Motion Technologies is one of those pioneers. The company is developing a zero-emission energy solution using ThinGap’s motor technology in its generator mode. Ocean Motion’s R&D is focused on sustainable, scalable, and more efficient marine hydrokinetic energy by focusing on small-scale applications like scientific & maritime buoys and moorings, offshore aquaculture, and coastal security and defense. Up until now, oceanic buoys have been powered by solar panels, which have a high cost of maintenance. Ocean wave energy is a natural choice for these use cases, but most wave energy devices are not designed for small-scale applications, as they can only function within a narrow range of sea states. Leveraging SBIR Grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and National Science Foundation, Ocean Motion Tech has designed a wave generating prototype leveraging ThinGap’s TGD-108 (image). Originally designed and optimized for an aerospace application, the TGD-108 is available as a framed assembly with 1.4 kW of continuous power output while weighing only 670 grams or just less than 1.5 lbs. With the adage that good motors make good generators, ThinGap’s technology is a logical choice for renewable energy applications that require overall system efficiencies. ThinGap’s unique scalable motor architecture and design offer efficiency up to 95%, and largely eliminates internal magnetic losses. The low impedance stator typical in ThinGap designs provides a stable, pure 3-phase sinusoidal, low-droop, with less than 1% harmonic distortion voltage output of clean, conditioned power. Ocean Motion’s solution for powering data buoys is an adaptive wave energy device, with the ability to scale the technology up, and networking them together for oceanographic monitoring. The primary reason for pursuing marine power generation is due to the inherent energy density of ocean waves, which concentrates solar and wind energy and thus offering far greater energy potential in comparison. With more than two decades of experience in the design and production of slotless motor kits, ThinGap salutes the novel efforts of customers like Ocean Motion Tech.  Ongoing and future projects designed to combine proven technology in an applied fashion are at the heart of innovative solutions like the ones being actively demonstrated in the Pacific Ocean.

Slotless Motors For Precision Haptic Feedback

What do Surgeons and Pilots have in common?  Besides holding incredibly important jobs, they rely on precision control systems to be highly effective. ThinGap’s frameless architecture and smooth, cogless motion make it ideal for force-sensing applications, from flight simulators to surgical robotics. Haptic systems rely on accurate torque feedback, free from mechanical disturbances, to enhance human control. The TG Series motor kits deliver true force feedback without disruptions, thanks to their ironless design that eliminates hysteretic drag. With near-zero Eddy-current, low hysteresis, and harmonic distortion under 1%, torque output remains directly proportional to current. These features make the TG Series a trusted choice for haptic feedback in surgical robotics and flight simulators. Modern surgical robotics demand precise, disturbance-free movement for optimal patient care. Zero-cogging motor kits enable accurate haptic feedback and precision actuation. ThinGap’s collaboration with a leading surgical robotics manufacturer underscores its ability to deliver motors tailored to medical industry standards. Beyond medical use, ThinGap’s motors support aerospace and motorsports simulators, delivering the force sensing needed for immersive training. With near-zero Eddy-current, low hysteresis, and minimal harmonic distortion, ThinGap ensures smooth, reliable motion across various industries.

Slotless Motors For Air Bearing Spindles

High-precision industrial spindles, such as those used in rotary stages, are crucial for applications requiring absolute precision, including semiconductor wafer processing, imaging, and inspection. Beyond the semiconductor industry, air bearing spindles are also vital in optics production, scientific research, and even automobile painting. Air bearings, also known as fluid film bearings, utilize pressurized air to reduce friction, similar to how liquid or mechanical lubricants work. The compressed air acts as a cushion between the spindle's rotor and stator, as well as providing stiffness, enabling highly reliable high-speed and precise movement. The complexity of predicting the performance of air bearings is rooted in nonlinear differential equations, but the benefit is seen by minimizing moving parts and wear resulting in enhance reliability. One critical design/integration aspect of air bearing spindles is the high degree of precision gained when paired with slotless motors. Low-profile, large through hole BLDC motors are particularly suitable for spindle applications due to their large internal aperture, which accommodates optics, cabling, or prisms, while remaining compact enough for deep system integration. Another benefit of using traditional slotless or ironless stator slotless motors for air bearing spindles is architectural, due to the reduced, or in some cases, elimination of attractive forces between the rotor and stator. The lack of a stator iron enables a thinner, lighter weight, and ultimately more mass efficient spindle, saving both volume and mass.  Finally, the lack of cogging inherent in slotless motors provides a smooth rotational output and avoids even the smallest disturbance torques that can translate to the workpiece. ThinGap’s TG Series of slotless BLDC motor kits are ideal for high-speed air bearing spindle applications due to the lack of iron in the stator, leading to zero radial and axial forces between the rotor and stator. The slotless, ironless stator delivers smooth, zero-cogging motion, making these motors perfect for spindle use. The TG Series has the added benefit of zero hysteretic and Eddy Current drag, ensuring true bidirectional repeatability in both angular and vertical movements, while also making it exceptionally efficient at high speeds. Lastly, the TG Series ironless stators boast harmonic distortion below 1%, and provide a linear current to torque output throughout the entire torque range (up to the peak torque limit) reducing servo induced disturbance and ultimately improving torque, and velocity control. ThinGap’s TG Series of slotless motor kits stands out as an industry leader for air bearing spindle applications. With standard kits ranging from 29 to 190 mm in outer diameter and continuous torque outputs from 0.14 to 9.46 N-m, these motors are always cogless, low-profile, large through hole, and high in power density. Available in standard and modified configurations, ThinGap’s TG Series is the optimal choice for air bearing spindle motors.

ThinGap, Xiomas, and the Future of Aerial Fire Monitoring

The increased frequency of massive wildfires, capable of inflicting billions of dollars in damages annually, demands enhanced technology to combat the threat. The innovators at Xiomas Technologies, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, strive to empower humanity in the battle against these catastrophic forces with cutting-edge systems and advanced imaging technology. Xiomas is developing advanced high-resolution imaging instruments that will help map wildfires in greater detail to aid firefighters with coordination and safety when battling these large fires. Current wildfire imaging technology captures fire data in infrared wavelengths to map the ground temperatures and cut through the smoke, and typically operate at altitudes around 10,000 feet, which only gives a 6 mile wide field of view for each pass, which represents a limiting factor. Xiomas’s Thermal Mapping and Measurement Sensor (TMMS) is the latest evolution of their high altitude fire mapping sensor. Designed to operate at around 40,000 feet, the Xiomas sensor captures a 16 mile wide path, resulting in triple the ground coverage in a single pass and without compromising critical resolution and data collection. Despite operating at much higher altitudes than contemporary infrared sensors, TMMS can create an image with the same ground resolution as current technology by creating a mosaic of many smaller images and patching them together in software to create a much larger image. Xiomas’ goal is to create a more efficient airborne sensor to reduce operation costs, decrease flight time, and increase coverage to better help firefighters on the ground. Xiomas’ technology has attracted the attention of NASA, who have funded the development and testing of a few generations of thermal mapping instruments, the WAI (Wide Area Imager), TMAS (Thermal Mapping Airborne Simulator), TBIRD (Three Band IR Detector), and now the TMMS sensors. Set to begin testing by NASA in Fall 2024 aboard their ER-2 High-Altitude Airborne Science Aircraft derived from the famous U-2 spy plane, Xiomas is hoping to expand the TMMS sensor to be integrated into satellites in the next few years. [caption id="attachment_4887" align="alignnone" width="349"] The ThinGap-designed turnkey assembly integrates one of its slotless motor with an optical encoder and bearing set into a precision aluminum housing.[/caption] At the heart of the Xiomas’s TMMS is the Across-Track Scanner, which is built around a custom motor assembly and ThinGap’s OTS LSI 75-12 Brushless DC motor. The ThinGap engineered assembly is based on a cog-free, low profile “slotless” motor integrated into a precision-machined aluminum housing, with a high resolution optical encoder, pre-loaded bearing set, and paired with a high-PWM, low-inductance controller, all of which drives a lightweight scan mirror. The TMMS sensor has a 110 degree field of view, enabled by each 5.85 degree movement of the scan mirror, which triggers the camera to take an image. The ability to deliver a framed assembly (link to modified/custom page) based off an off-the-shelf motor kit with is another example of ThinGap’s ability to deliver an optimized, yet cost and budget effective turnkey motor assembly for rapid customer integration. Many members of ThinGap’s team have been directly affected by the wind-driven brushfires that Southern California is famous for, so the ability to directly contribute to community safety is a matter of pride. To learn more about Xiomas Technologies, please visit their website.

ThinGap's Capabilities and Credentials

ThinGap stands atop a proud 25-year history supporting customers in aerospace and other precision industries. The ability to serve such a diverse customer base is due to ThinGap’s heritage and unique capabilities as an organization. In May of 2022, it became part of the greater Allient organization (formerly named Allied Motion). Since 1999, ThinGap has developed hundreds of motor designs, and shipped thousands of motors to customers ranging from NASA to Fortune 500 companies, and even top Formula 1 teams. One of the key enabling factors is the close integration of production, engineering, and operations within a single location. ThinGap’s ability to rapidly react to customer needs is reflected in sample quantity products often shipping within a week or less, with a ramp to production volumes in 3-4 months. Additionally, preliminary custom electro-magnetic designs and space-claim CAD models are available in 48 hours, with first deliveries often happening in 9-12 months from project kickoff. Because of ThinGap’s advanced analytical modelling, final designs are promised to be within 95% of predicted performance. Well defined production processes, 3D-printed tooling, refined modeling, and analytical tools all contribute to the ability to quickly support customers in a fast paced marketplace. ThinGap has the capability to take any off-the-shelf motor kit and modify it to the customer’s exact requirements for both its LS and TG Series, such as winding changes, or environmental conditions like space-rating or submergible applications. Modified and custom motor designs address the need for very specific performance specifications, operational requirements, cost optimized solutions, and unique form factors that may be required for a given project. Additionally, ThinGap has the in-house capability to design and manufacture framed or housed motor assemblies as a pre-integrated solution. Housed and framed assemblies enable more cost-effective, turnkey solutions desired by programs with tight schedules which need to be able to rapidly integrate a motor into a system. To learn more about ThinGap’s capabilities, please reach out for further information.

Zero-Cogging Slotless Motors For Medical Robotics

While a majority of ThinGap’s motor kits are destined for airborne or spaceborne applications, the same attributes that help serve aerospace customers also are desirable for many medical applications. Smooth, zero-cogging, high precision motor kits, such as ThinGap’s are ideal for not only surgical robotics, but diagnostic and imaging equipment as well. Modern surgical robotics systems require precise, exacting movement with no chance for mechanical disturbances to ensure the highest level of patient care. Zero-cogging motor kits are the ideal solution for true and accurate operator haptic feedback, as well as precision actuation. ThinGap’s TG Series motor kits have been used for haptic feedback for a surgical robotic system, due to the lack of both hysteretic drag afforded by the ironless motor architecture, enabling true force feedback without any disruptions. ThinGap’s LS Series has seen integration in high-precision robotics due to the motor architecture’s extremely smooth, highly precise motion. Additionally, low profile motion solutions with a large internal aperture are desired for the ability to route optics or cabling through the center as part of deep system integration. ThinGap’s motor kits have near zero Eddy-current, low or zero hysteretic drag, and a harmonic distortion of less than 1%, so torque output is directly proportional to current throughout the operating range, as well as providing smooth, zero-cogging motion. Additionally, ThinGap has maintained a long-standing relationship with a leading surgical robotics manufacturer supplying motors, and regularly works with other medical industry OEMs to produce tailor-made solutions that meet regulatory approval.

NASA Makes First Images and Data From PACE Public

In recognition of Earth Day, ThinGap is excited to share NASA’s public release of data from the recent PACE Mission. [caption id="attachment_4819" align="alignnone" width="545"] Image Credit: NASA[/caption] Launched in February, PACE is a mission to study the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere, and marks the first time ThinGap motors have received NASA flight certification. ThinGap supplied its LS Series motors that drive the satellite’s main instrument, the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI). Read the full blog here    

Everything To Know About PACE, ThinGap's First NASA Mission

Scheduled to launch early in the morning on February 6, 2024 from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the PACE Mission marks the first time ThinGap has achieved flight certification by NASA. PACE is a NASA mission that ThinGap has been proud to support. Developed and produced by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, PACE is a planned decade-long mission to study the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. The PACE launch is scheduled for 1:35 a.m. EST.  In attendance to witness the historic event firsthand will be representatives from ThinGap’s management and engineering teams.  In 2021, ThinGap supplied custom made LS Series motor kits to the development team at NASA Goddard.  These motors were designed to be integrated into the PACE Mission’s Ocean Color Instrument or OCI sensor payload. The goal of the PACE mission is the monitoring of worldwide oceanic health through observation of the color of the ocean’s surface, as well as how reflected sunlight interacts with the atmosphere. The color of surface water is heavily influenced by sunlight’s interaction with chlorophyll, a green pigment found in plants as well as the phytoplankton that inhabit the ocean. Designed and built by NASA Goddard, the heart of the OCI (Ocean Color Instrument) is an advanced hyperspectral optical spectrometer, capable of measuring the color of the ocean from ultraviolet, through visible color, to short-wave infrared wavelengths. Previous NASA satellites have been limited to studying a small portion of this spectrum, so a single instrument being able to capture more data than before is a huge benefit to researchers. ThinGap supplied custom LS Series motors to NASA in 2021 that drive the continuously rotating cross-track telescope. The two other payloads aboard PACE are polarimeters intended to measure how sunlight reflected by the Earth’s surface interacts with clouds, aerosols, and the ocean surface. The first is SPEXone, designed and built by a Dutch team including Airbus Defense & Space, Netherlands Institute for Space Research, and supported by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research is designed to characterize particles suspended in the atmosphere by chemical composition and their impacts on climate change. The other polarimeter aboard PACE, designed and built by University of Maryland Baltimore County’s Earth and Space Institute is HARP2 (Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter) sensor. HARP2 is a wide-angle imaging polarimeter designed to measure the properties of atmospheric particles, including their size, distribution, shape, and density. Previous HARP instruments have been flown on both airborne platforms as well as CubeSats, which helped influence the design of HARP2. ThinGap is honored to support this mission by supplying custom motors, as well as achieving flight certification. Additionally, ThinGap has supplied more than 2,500 motor kits in support of a major commercial constellation, as well as US Space Force projects for prime customers.

Zero-Cogging Motors For Precision Underwater Applications

Seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. Whether for defense, industry or exploration, the demand of underwater systems, such as manned submersibles, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) is a market that is expected to grow to more than $10 billion by the 2030s, according to Emergen Research.  These underwater platforms of all forms stand to leverage the benefits of ThinGap’s high efficiency motor kits. With critical functions such as robotic actuation and quiet, yet highly efficient propulsion, ThinGap’s motors continue to find a home in marine and subsea applications. An emerging use for ThinGap’s brushless DC motors is marine propulsion. ThinGap motors are ideal for underwater direct drive thrusters because of a high torque-to-diameter ratio. ThinGap recently delivered a floodable motor assembly based off its LS Series to a defense customer for a UUV application. With no gearbox, there are no drivetrain losses, enabling lower assembly weight, increased torque, and greater reliability. As a flooded motor, ThinGap’s stator has the added benefit of inherent cooling from the cold seawater.  In addition, the thin profile of the slotless stator architecture provides less fluid resistance than more traditional actuators.  Mechanically speaking, the ring architecture allows propulsion to be directly outside of the rotor (propeller), or inside (impeller). High motor efficiency, low-noise underwater thrusters are ideal for the fast growing ROV, UUV, and AUV market segments. With more than two decades of experience in the design and production of slotless motor kits, ThinGap leverages its proven designs to deliver engineered solutions to support both commercial and defense applications underwater. With standard products ranging in size from 25 mm to 393 mm in outer diameter, ThinGap’s highly scalable motor technology can be modified to fit any environmental requirement.

How A Flight-Qualified Watch Helped Save Apollo 13

Fourteen seconds. That is the amount of time that the crew of Apollo 13 was instructed by NASA’s Mission Control to fire their Lunar Lander’s descent engine to return their damaged spacecraft back to Earth. With the ailing spacecraft being 60-80 miles off-course, this was the critical “push” that the crew needed to correct their return trajectory. The inside of the command module was close to freezing due to most onboard systems being shut down to conserve energy, including the onboard digital timer. With the odds stacked against the crew, it was up to a mechanical backup to time the engine burn - - Astronaut Jack Swigert’s Omega Speedmaster wristwatch. While the availability of a backup seems so obvious as to be an afterthought, it was in fact a decision that had been qualified by NASA five years earlier. Flight qualification is a process by which components intended for space are subjected to a variety of conditions intended to replicate the harsh environment outside the atmosphere, not limited to vacuum, temperature, and shock. These tests are designed to push systems to their very limits to ensure functionality, an achievement that ThinGap motors have accomplished in support of an upcoming NASA mission.  Qualifying anything for use in space, whether it be a ThinGap brushless DC motor or a commercially made Omega wristwatch, is an important and complex process. The story of the watch that saved Apollo 13 began nearly a decade earlier, with Mercury-Atlas 8 in October 1962. In the early days of manned spaceflight, astronauts were not issued watches, and instead were permitted to wear their personal timepieces. For Mercury-Atlas 8, test pilot and astronaut Wally Schirra wore his Omega Speedmaster, beginning what became a long relationship between Omega Watches and NASA. With America’s lofty goal of fulfilling recently assassinated President John F. Kennedy’s dream of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, no detail was overlooked, including the astronauts’ watches. By the time NASA was ready to select a watch for the Apollo program in 1965, they issued a solicitation to a handful of watchmakers based off of astronaut feedback, with ultimately only three makers responding: Omega, Rolex, and Longines. With the three brand of watches procured for evaluation, it came time to test them in the most scientific way possible... to destruction, with the following flight certification regiment having been pulled from historical documents: High Temperature– 48 hours at a temperature of 160°F (71°C) followed by 30 minutes at 200°F (93°C). For the high temperature tests, atmospheric pressure shall be 5.5 psi (0.35 atm) and the relative humidity shall not exceed 15%. Low Temperature –Four hours at a temperature of 0°F (-18° C) Temperature Pressure Chamber – pressure maximum of 1.47 x 10exp-5 psi (10exp-6 atm) with temperature raised to 160°F (71°C). The temperature shall then be lowered to 0°F (-18°C) in 45 minutes and raised again to 160°F in 45 minutes. Fifteen more such cycles shall be completed. Relative Humidity –A total time of 240 hours at temperatures varying between 68°F and 160°F (20°C and 71°C, respectively) in a relative humidity of at least 95%. The steam used shall have a pH value between 6.5 and 7.5. Pure Oxygen Atmosphere –The test item shall be placed in an atmosphere of 100% oxygen at a pressure of 5.5 psi (0.35 atm) for 48 hours. Performance outside of specification tolerance, visible burning, creation of toxic gases, obnoxious odors, or deterioration of seals or lubricants shall constitute a failure. The ambient temperature shall be maintained at 160°F (71°C). Shock –Six shocks of 40g each, in six different directions, with each shock lasting 11 milliseconds. Acceleration –The test item shall be accelerated linearly from 1g to 7.25g within 333 seconds, along an axis parallel to the longitudinal spacecraft axis. Decompression –90 minutes in a vacuum of 1.47 x 10E-5 psi (10 E-6 atm) at a temperature of 160° F (71° C), and 30 minutes at a 200° F (93°C). High Pressure –The test item shall be subjected to a pressure of 23.5 psi (1.6 atm) for a minimum period of one hour. Vibration –Three cycles of 30 minutes (lateral, horizontal, vertical, the frequency varying from 5 to 2000 cps and back to 5 cps in 15 minutes. Average acceleration per impulse must be at least 8.8g. Acoustic Noise –130dB over a frequency range from 40 to 10,000 HZ, for a duration of 30 minutes. As if the torturous and destructive test routine wasn’t enough, the watches were subsequently required to retain their accuracy within 5 seconds a day. The Speedmaster was the winner by default, with the Longines and Rolex having failed at the beginning of the first temperature test. Despite being the victor, the Speedmaster was still worse for wear, with all the luminous paint on the dial having crumbled off, yet its workings remained accurate to within an impressive 4 seconds a day. [caption id="attachment_4718" align="alignnone" width="625"] The Omega Speedmaster has changed very little cosmetically since it's 1957 introduction[/caption] The reasons for the Omega Speedmaster’s durability ultimately comes down to a simple, yet robust mechanical movement inside, as well as a rugged, yet elegant case that envelops it. Introduced in the late 1950s for use in motorsports, the Omega Speedmaster is a hand-wound chronograph (a watch with an integrated stopwatch function) with a minimalist black dial with white markings and protected by a domed bubble acrylic watch glass. The Speedmaster had become a favorite amongst pilots due to the highly reliability, legibility, and most importantly, the accuracy it possessed. [caption id="attachment_4709" align="alignnone" width="625"] Ed White on a spacewalk during Gemini 4[/caption] With the Speedmaster now qualified for all manned space missions and extravehicular activities, they became standard issue to NASA’s crews.  In June 1965, Ed White wore his on the first American spacewalk during Gemini 4. When Apollo 11 landed on the Moon in July 1969, mission commander Neil Armstrong left his in the Lunar Lander to serve as a backup timer as the Lander’s internal electronic timer had malfunctioned. However, Buzz Aldrin chose to affix his for the moonwalk, making the Speedmaster the first watch worn on the Moon. [caption id="attachment_4571" align="alignnone" width="485"] Buzz Aldrin in the Lunar Module ahead of lunar landing[/caption] Despite its previous widescale acceptance by the aeronautical community, the Speedmaster’s defining moment came during Apollo 13 in April 1970, after an exploded oxygen tank crippled the Apollo Lunar Module en-route to the Moon. With their vehicle critically damaged, making their lunar mission impossible, the astronauts agreed to forsake all creature comfort, and powered down all support systems, except for basic life support, including the digital mission timer to save power. Jack Swigert’s manual 14 second burn, timed on the watch, ensured that their freezing capsule re-entered the at the right angle, instead of their trajectory which would have bounced them off the Earth’s upper atmosphere and back into space. [caption id="attachment_4574" align="alignnone" width="361"] Astronaut Jack Swigert during spacesuit fitment[/caption] The Speedmaster flew with NASA for the rest of the Apollo moon missions, and subsequent NASA programs. When Apollo-Soyuz, the first international space flight, flew in 1976, both the American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts were seen wearing Speedmasters–an interesting detail given that cosmonauts had previously worn exclusively Soviet-made watches as a way to promote their domestic industry and were regularly worn aboard the Mir Space Station. The Speedmaster was re-certified by NASA in 1978 for the Space Shuttle program, yet again undergoing the same rigorous regime. Through the Shuttle program, the Speedmaster remained standard issue for all astronauts, and in the 1990s, NASA and Omega collaborated on a clean-sheet watch, designed with the needs of modern astronauts in mind. This joint venture resulted in the Speedmaster X-33, which saw the purely mechanical watch upgraded to a modern, battery-powered computerized watch. Despite being superseded by a modern replacement, the original Speedmaster has still been seen worn aboard the International Space Station. [caption id="attachment_4573" align="alignnone" width="481"] German Astronaut Alexander Gerst is seen wearing his Speedmaster X-33 aboard the International Space Station[/caption] To this very day, one can walk into a jeweler and buy a watch that is cosmetically and functionally identical to what has been flown since 1962. In fact, from the mid-1960s onward, the caseback of every Omega Speedmaster Professional (affectionately referred to as the Moonwatch) bears the inscription “Flight-Qualified By NASA In 1965 For All Manned Space Missions-The First Watch Worn On The Moon”. 1970s Omega print ads detailing the Speedmaster's involvement with NASA and the Apollo program ThinGap has supplied flight-qualified motors to NASA in support of their upcoming PACE mission. Focused on monitoring the overall health of worldwide oceans and atmosphere by monitoring the color of the seawater, PACE is set to launch in February 2024 from Kennedy Space Center. ThinGap is honored to support this mission by supplying custom LS Series slotless motors that drive the satellite’s primary sensor, the Ocean Color Instrument. Additionally, ThinGap has supplied more than 2,500 motor kits in support of a major commercial constellation. Works Cited: OMEGA and Apollo 13 – The 14 critical seconds between success and failure NASA Testing Regime for the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 — A Life-Saving Fourteen-Second Burn Timed With The Omega Speedmaster Professional A Watch Made for Space but Ready for Anything Actual Pictures Actually Showing The Speedmaster Professional Actually Being Used For EVA, Today (Well, In 2014) Watches used in space exploration

H-LSI 267-32 Demos ThinGap's Motor Assembly Capabilities

Designed around a low profile cogless motor with an optical encoder, precision bearing set, and anodized aluminum housing, the unit is for use in a ground-based NASA optical platform. ThinGap recently shipped a housed version of its LSI 267-32 motor kit to a commercial customer in support of a ground-based NASA application, adding to the list of successful deliveries of housed units. Built around the company’s slotless 267 mm outer diameter BLDC motor kit, the H-LSI 267-32 integrates the high performance motor with a precision bearing set, and an optical encoder into a lightweight, Chem Film coated aluminum housing. As a turnkey solution designed for a ground-based optical platform, this unit adds to ThinGap’s repertoire of housed and framed motor assemblies. The assembly measures 282 mm in diameter, with an axial height of 86 mm, and an internal aperture of 190 mm; the whole assembly weighs in at 8.34 kg (18.4 Lbs.), and produces a continuous torque output of 12.5 N-m, with a peak 1-second torque of 184 N-m. Customers often come to ThinGap in need of a motor kit, wanting to take advantage of the low-profile, lightweight, and frameless architecture that is ideal for deep system integration. Yet, the time and cost of developing a housed solution are not lost on program managers and developers, so the availability of a ThinGap-led, fully engineered direct drive assembly provides a tangible advantage. Beyond zero cogging, ThinGap’s air core motor kits have near zero Eddy current, and a harmonic distortion of less than 1%, so torque output is directly proportional to current. The resulting smooth motion and linear output makes them perfect for use in precision applications. ThinGap’s LS Series of slotless motor kits range in size from 25 to 267 mm in diameter, torque from 0.1 to 12 N-m continuous, and voltages from 24-400 volts. For additional information on custom motor development, please contact the company at [email protected] or visit www.thingap.com.

ThinGap Releases Space Qualification Capabilities Statement

As part of regular documentation updates, ThinGap recently outlined the process by which commercial-off-the-shelf motor kits are modified for space applications. Titled “ThinGap Space Qualification Capabilities Statement,” and available on the Compliance Information page, this one-page document provides an overview on how the company handles modifications to meet the needs of both LEO applications typical of NewSpace, as well as more rigorous Government space programs, including NASA and defense applications. ThinGap’s brushless DC electric motor kits are high quality, high performance motion components. The company has an extensive space heritage with commercial, scientific and military programs, including 2,500 motor kits supplied for an undisclosed LEO satellite constellation, 20+ space-grade programs actively being supported, and delivery of flight-grade kits for NASA’s PACE Program. ThinGap has a standard approach and delivery set for providing space-grade motors, as well as the capability to support more stringent customer-specific flow downs, in addition to offering the space-rated off-the-shelf TGR Series. Commercial Space Standard ThinGap has established a commercial standard to provide "space-grade" motor kits using a set of process and material callouts. Essentially any of ThinGap’s standard motor kits can be upgraded to a space standard. The defined space upgrades provide an affordable option, especially for high volume and rapid reaction programs, such as commercial LEO applications. The baseline for commercial space motor kits includes the following: A controlled Materials and Processes (M&P) list Use of low outgassing materials, per NASA guidelines Class 3 PCBs Leaded solder and IPC J-STD workmanship Raw material certifications First Article Inspection Reports Additional Supplemental Deliverables ThinGap can quote a wide range of customer requested flow downs applicable to motor deliveries. When requested, the company can engage third parties to satisfy requirements outside its on-site capabilities, including certain types of testing and analysis. Optional customer requested deliverables include i.) Structural and finite element analyses, ii.) On-site source inspection, iii.) Thermal vacuum testing conducted by a third party. At the time of quoting, ThinGap requests a customer-provided compliance matrix with any required callouts or flow downs to be completed and returned by ThinGap. Summary The company prides itself on its heritage and being able to support a range of requirements called for by space applications.  Default deliverables are the baseline of the company’s capabilities, and can be supplemented with additional customer-specific requirements as required. To view and download the statement, click here.  

ThinGap Welcomes Visitors From NASA Goddard

  [caption id="attachment_4514" align="alignnone" width="545"] Left to Right-Joseph Kay, PhD-Director of Engineering, John Baumann, President of ThinGap, and Robby Estep and Dustyn Strosnider from NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4514" align="alignnone" width="545"] This past week, ThinGap hosted visitors from NASA who delivered their appreciation for the support of their PACE mission. The team from NASA Goddard gave a progress update on the mission, as well providing a Certificate of Appreciation that the ThinGap team can proudly display. NASA’s PACE mission is focused on monitoring the overall health of worldwide oceans by monitoring the color of the water, as well as atmospheric observation.  ThinGap is honored to support this mission by supplying custom LS Series slotless motors that drive the satellite’s primary sensor, the Ocean Color Instrument. NASA’s PACE Spacecraft is schedule to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in January 2024.

Renewable Energy Innovations, Generated by ThinGap

With the growing urgency for sustainable energy, pioneers are innovating new ways to harness the power of ocean waves.  Southern California based Ocean Motion Technologies is one of those pioneers. The company is developing a zero-emission energy solution using ThinGap’s motor technology in its generator mode. Ocean Motion’s R&D is focused on sustainable, scalable, and more efficient marine hydrokinetic energy by focusing on small-scale applications like scientific & maritime buoys and moorings, offshore aquaculture, and coastal security and defense. Up until now, oceanic buoys have been powered by solar panels, which have a high cost of maintenance. Ocean wave energy is a natural choice for these use cases, but most wave energy devices are not designed for small-scale applications, as they can only function within a narrow range of sea states. Leveraging SBIR Grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and National Science Foundation, Ocean Motion Tech has designed a wave generating prototype leveraging ThinGap’s TGD-108 (image). Originally designed and optimized for an aerospace application, the TGD-108 is available as a framed assembly with 1.4 kW of continuous power output while weighing only 670 grams or just less than 1.5 lbs. With the adage that good motors make good generators, ThinGap’s technology is a logical choice for renewable energy applications that require overall system efficiencies. ThinGap’s unique scalable motor architecture and design offer efficiency up to 95%, and largely eliminates internal magnetic losses. The low impedance stator typical in ThinGap designs provides a stable, pure 3-phase sinusoidal, low-droop, with less than 1% harmonic distortion voltage output of clean, conditioned power. Ocean Motion’s solution for powering data buoys is an adaptive wave energy device, with the ability to scale the technology up, and networking them together for oceanographic monitoring. The primary reason for pursuing marine power generation is due to the inherent energy density of ocean waves, which concentrates solar and wind energy and thus offering far greater energy potential in comparison. With more than two decades of experience in the design and production of slotless motor kits, ThinGap salutes the novel efforts of customers like Ocean Motion Tech.  Ongoing and future projects designed to combine proven technology in an applied fashion are at the heart of innovative solutions like the ones being actively demonstrated in the Pacific Ocean.

Tall Motors: Scalable, Cogless Power In Action

With a focus on providing engineered solutions for a variety of high performance applications, ThinGap regularly provides modified versions of its off-the-shelf motor kits to meet customer specifications. Many of these changes include switching a motor’s winding configuration, space rating, high-temperature capability, or custom mounting configurations to create a modified-off-the-shelf product. In some cases, customers request an increase in axial height of an existing motor to improve the torque output of the motor kit without increasing the width. Important to note that with ThinGap’s proprietary slotless motor architecture, torque increases exponentially with the outer diameter, but only proportionally with axial height. So while a larger outer diameter motor is always the better choice, customers often have mechanical constraints that limit their ability to accept a wider motor, making a taller product the next best solution. ThinGap’s tooling is vertically modular, making it simpler and less expensive to change the axial height of a kit to improve torque output. Tall variants share much of the same material components with their smaller cousins, and can in many case be built in parallel. Many of ThinGap’s tall motor variants began as modified-custom solutions, such as the LSI 39-39, LSI 75-30, LSI 130-40, LSI 152-55, and LSI 267-58. By way of example, several motors sizes offer three different axial highest, such as the LSI 25 that is available in axial heights of 10, 16 and 25mm. With two decades of experience in the design and production of slotless motor kits, ThinGap leverages its proven designs and analytical modeling that results in highly accurate transitions from predicted performance to real world operation. Furthermore, the process steps needed to produce motors of all sizes are highly scalable and ThinGap has standard products as small as 25mm, up to 393mm in outer diameter. For a complete listing of our standard products, including our tall variants, please click here.

Zero-Cogging Motors for Precision Industrial Applications

ThinGap’s permanent magnet motors are widely used in airborne and space platforms, but there are more applications that benefit from their zero-cogging technology. With the insatiable demand for high tech devices, comes an equally high demand for precision equipment used to make integrated circuits. Today’s semiconductor equipment and test platforms need high degrees of force density, and decisive move-and-hold steps. Robust, yet compact semiconductor equipment enable inline process functions, yield enhancements, and higher levels of throughput. Motors and actuators used in wafer processing and test require the benefits of cogless, absolute precision. Low profile motors are ideal because of the large internal aperture so that optics, cabling, or prisms can be routed through the center, yet be compact, enabling deep system integration. Additionally, precision brushless motors are used extensively in optical systems for applications such as beam steering, delivering micron-level resolution. The ongoing transition to direct-drive solutions enables system-level advancements needed by today’s semiconductor industry. Frameless, slotless motor kits with high torque are in many cases the ideal solution for semiconductor equipment with low profile, high torque coreless motors being the right fit for metrology and optical-based systems. Beyond zero cogging, ThinGap’s air core motor kits have near zero Eddy-current, and a harmonic distortion of less than 1%, so torque output is directly proportional to current. The resulting smooth motion, linear output makes them perfect for use in precision industrial applications. ThinGap’s LS Series of slotless motor kits are an industry leader for semiconductor applications. Standard kits range in size from 25-267 mm outer diameter, and a continuous torque output from 0.1- 24.4 N-m. Always cogless, always low profile and with high power density and with standard and modified configurations, the LS Series is ideal for semiconductor applications.

ThinGap Renews ISO 9001:2015 Certification Until 2026

Renewal for three more years underlines ThinGap’s commitment to stringent customer quality requirements and the widely recognized ISO Standards ThinGap’s ISO 9001:2015 certification has been renewed for another three years, and will remain in effect until March 2026. An audit and renewal of ThinGap’s certificate was completed by American Global Standards, LLC of Montecito, CA as the basis for the Certification renewal. Based on ISO 9001:2015, ThinGap’s Quality Management System (QMS) serves as the baseline for delivering high quality products to many customers with program-specific QC requirements for a wide variety of industries. ThinGap has a track record of supporting the exacting requirements for its base of Fortune 500 companies, Government customers, including NASA, and regulatory specifications across multiple sectors, be it space, medical, defense or airborne. With more than two decades of experience in the design and production of slotless motor kits, ThinGap can leverage proven designs and analytical modeling that results in highly accurate transitions from predicted performance to real world operation. Furthermore, the process steps needed to produce motors of all sizes is highly scalable; ThinGap has shipped motors from 19 mm up to 600 mm in size.

ThinGap Demonstrates High Power Motor Capability with 100 kW Motor Kit

Showcasing ThinGap’s highly scalable slotless motor technology, the TGO 385 was designed with renewable energy in mind, but many potential applications exist. ThinGap has completed its latest large-size motor prototype, the TGO 385 for a commercial customer. The TGO 385 motor kit has an outer diameter (OD) of 385 mm (15 in.), and an axial height of 223 mm (9 in.), making it about the same volume as a 5-gallon bucket.  The power output capability of the TGO 385 is estimated to be 100 kW or more depending on the application. Showcasing the highly scalable nature of ThinGap’s motor architecture, the TGO 385 is the newest variant of the TG Series of slotless motor kits. The company’s TG motors are unique in having a stator architecture with an ironless coil. Due to the absence of slots or “teeth”, ThinGap’s stators do not saturate during operation, allowing the motor kit to produce more torque as current is applied, without the falloff seen in traditional iron core motors. Combined with a mechanical design that promotes convective cooling during operation means that the TG Series has unrivaled power density. The TG Series has been successfully used in a wide variety of generator, propulsion, and flywheel applications, ranging from gyro-stabilization in boats and satellites to airborne starter-generators. To learn more the highly efficient, zero-cogging TG Series of slotless motor kits, click here. The TGO 385 demonstrates ThinGap’s ability to deliver tailor-made high-power solutions.  With more than two decades of experience in the design and production of slotless motor kits, ThinGap leverages its proven designs and analytical modeling that results in highly accurate transitions from predicted performance to real world operation. Furthermore, the process steps needed to produce motors of all sizes is highly scalable, and ThinGap has shipped large class motors of up to 600 mm OD, ranging from 10-400 kW of output power.

NASA's ERBS and the Future of Weather Satellites

January 2023 marked the quiet end of NASA’s ERBS (Earth Radiation Budget Satellite). Launched in late 1984 from Space Shuttle Challenger during mission STS-41-G, ERBS was launched to study how the Sun’s energy was absorbed and reflected by the Earth, as well as carrying other payloads designed for atmospheric study. Originally designed for just a two year operational lifespan, ERBS far outlived this by 19 years until it was retired in 2005. What made ERBS one of NASA’s most important satellites was the SAGE II instrument, that was critical in observations confirming the depletion of the Ozone layer due to CFC usage, ultimately resulting in their ban. After exhausting its onboard propellant and energy stores, NASA decommissioned the satellite in 2005, and through the end of 2022 it orbited the Earth before burning up during atmospheric re-entry near the Alaska. Though ERBS’s story may have ended, it helped reinforce the importance of using satellites for atmospheric observations and experimentation. ThinGap is a proud supplier to NASA’s upcoming PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission, set to launch from Cape Canaveral in early 2024 aboard a SpaceX rocket. ThinGap’s LS Series of slotless motor kits are part of the OCI (Ocean Color Instrument) advanced spectrometer designed to measure the color of the ocean in wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared frequencies.