ThinGap is pleased to announce first deliveries of its new TGI 148-66, marking a clean-sheet motor targeted at air-bearing applications within the semiconductor market. The new part set has a rotor diameter (OD) of 148 mm, and an axial height of 66 mm. With a total mass of just over 2.4 kg, it offers a continuous torque output of 10.9 N-m, and peak 1-second torque as high as 80.1 N-m.
The TGI 148-66 highlights the highly flexible architecture of ThinGap’s TG Series. TG Series motors utilize an ironless, toothless stator design, resulting in linear torque constants and exceptionally high peak torque capability for highly dynamic, responsive actuation. The absence of iron eliminates attractive forces between the rotor and stator, a critical advantage in air-bearing applications. When combined with a near-perfect sinusoidal back-EMF and drive, this design effectively eliminates torque ripple while producing zero cogging and zero radial disturbance forces. Together, these characteristics deliver an ultra-high level of precision, smoothness, and responsiveness—key performance advantages for next-generation semiconductor applications seeking improved accuracy and higher processing throughput.
The TG Series has previously been successfully used in a wide variety of generator, propulsion, and flywheel applications, ranging from gyro-stabilization in marine applications and satellites, to airborne starter-generators. Furthermore, the process steps needed to produce motors of all sizes are highly scalable, with the company shipping motors ranging between 25 mm up to 600 mm in diameter.
To learn more about ThinGap’s custom motor capabilities, please contact the company.
Though now part of the greater Allied Motion organization, 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.
Since 1999, ThinGap has developed hundreds of motor designs, and shipped thousands of motors to customers ranging from NASA to Fortune 500 companies, including more than 3,500 motors actively in space. 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 prediction 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 to the company for further information.
As a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance motor kits used in a range of applications, key members of ThinGap’s staff recently became certified in IPC-620 for connections in support of a major space customer.
IPC-620 is the industry standard governing workmanship requirements for cable and wire harness assemblies. As part of a recent add-on contract for a space customer where a harness connector requirement was flowed down, ThinGap obtained the Space-addendum to the IPC-620 certification at the customer’s request.
.
ThinGap is ISO 9001:2015 certified and supports customer-specific flow-downs as part of program compliance within its Quality Management System. Established process and workmanship standards, including IPC J-STD requirements for soldering, are applied throughout production, with IPC-620 extending this framework to cable and harness assemblies. All documentation and procedures are maintained under revision control within the Company’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system.
ThinGap supports demanding requirements for Fortune 500 companies, government customers including NASA, and highly regulated programs across multiple sectors. To learn more about how ThinGap supports customers across various market segments, please contact the company.
ThinGap continues to build out its LS Series of slotless motor kits with the latest release, the LSI 152-14. The new LSI 152-14 is a thinner (smaller axial height) motor kit than two existing 152mm OD part sets. The new part has an outer diameter (OD) of 152 mm, and an axial height of just 14 mm, making it the shortest mid-size motor in the ThinGap portfolio. With a total mass of just over 383 grams, it offers a continuous torque output of 1.36 N-m, and peak 1-second torque as high as 15.8 N-m.
Although capable of reaching speeds up to 1,590 RPM, the LSI 152-14 is specifically designed for optical communication terminals, particularly within coarse pointing assemblies—joining other models in the LS Series that address similar applications. Multi-axial gimbal systems across terrestrial, airborne, and space applications can take advantage of high-performance, cogless Ring Motors like ThinGap’s industry-leading LS Series. These low profile motors enable precise direct-drive motion and position control, while delivering substantial savings in Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP).
With a distinguished spaceflight heritage and more than two decades of experience in the design and production of slotless motor kits, including for NASA, 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 are highly scalable, with the company shipping motors ranging between 25 mm up to 600 mm in diameter.
First of its kind addition of Hall effect sensors for development work serves as a demonstration of the flexibility of the TGR Series architecture and ThinGap’s ability to effectively modify standard products.
ThinGap, Inc. is pleased to announce the successful delivery of a Modified Off-the-Shelf (“MOTS”) variant of the TGR 89-26 motor kit. This marks the first integration of Hall effect sensors within the TGR Series, ThinGap’s clean-sheet motor line designed specifically for Reaction Wheel Assemblies (RWA). While the Hall effect assembly was not designed for use in space, customers often have the need for integrated sensors to help with development efforts and to prove out design functionality.
The integration of Hall effect sensors into the TGR 89-26 part set required modifications to both the rotor and stator. This was accomplished with the addition of a secondary PCB, added across the stator for accurate mounting of the Hall effect sensors, as well as the removal of the outside shield on the rotor. Fundamentally, the TGR architecture includes a rotor magnet shield which serves to block leakage flux that otherwise risked inducing eddy currents in the metal stator mounting ring, whereby reducing performance.
Analytical modeling tools enabled the company to address these challenges, which provided the foundation to add new sensing functionality without compromising efficiency or precision.
With a distinguished spaceflight heritage and more than two decades of experience in the design and production of slotless motor kits, including for NASA, 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 are highly scalable, with the company shipping motors ranging between 25 mm up to 600 mm in diameter.
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.
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.
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.
The first in a series of posts co-written with ThinGap’s sister company Airex, these will go in-depth on the importance of vacuum compatibility. ThinGap has an extensive track record of supporting applications that require vacuum compatibility and low outgassing requirements, such as space and semiconductor.
Vacuum applications present a unique set of challenges for electromagnet actuation. Brushless DC motors, whether rotary or linear, are composed of materials and built by processes that do not readily make them vacuum compatible. When considering a motion system requiring vacuum, partnering with a trusted motor/motion system supplier, with a proven history in high vacuum applications, will save you time and money. Products from ThinGap and Airex have all been successful in vacuum applications within the space and semi segments for the past twenty years. This tech note will share some of their application knowledge regarding motor and motion system in vacuum environments.
To read the full post, click here.