Hägglunds is one of the leading suppliers of gearless hydraulic motors for direct drive, known for both high torque and operational reliability. With the new motor, the company builds on that tradition while complementing its existing range. This enables fully electric solutions, from low power levels up to megawatt range, while maintaining performance.
A process that took time
The launch of the new permanent magnet synchronous motor, Thunder, is the result of a long development process. Several years ago, Hägglunds identified customer demand for direct drive at higher speeds than hydraulic motors can manage. The technology had previously been more common in smaller motors, but developments have made it possible to adapt permanent synchronous motors for significantly larger force levels than before.
– The core values are still the same for this new product family as for all other Hägglunds products, including high torque and operational reliability, explains Tomas Burman, Business Development Manager for Thunder at Hägglunds.
A positive reception
A small team has so far been responsible for launching the new motor. In addition to Tomas Burman, who joined in May, Roger Ågren serves as product manager, and together they are responsible for global sales of the motor.
– It has been an intensive summer and autumn, training sales staff in the new technology, preparing information material and listening to customer reactions. The new motor has genuinely received a very positive response from all groups, says Tomas Burman.
Customers have been both curious and supportive, and they see the new motor as an important and valuable addition to Hägglunds’ direct-drive offering.
– For those of us working with the new concept, it feels good to sense that support. It shows that we are on the right track and can meet a need that has existed for a long time while strengthening the Hägglunds brand.
Developed together with a partner
The new motor is not manufactured at Hägglunds in Mellansel, where production will continue to focus on hydraulic motors.
– Instead, we work together with a partner that already had the core technology, and we then developed our new motor together. We carried out a very thorough market survey and chose a partner with high-quality products, and we are very satisfied with the collaboration so far. The new motor has also undergone extensive testing in our laboratory in Mellansel.
Working closely with that partner, Hägglunds developed Thunder so that it can handle both high speeds and high power output.
– It offers a new balance of high efficiency and solutions adapted to specific application challenges, while still retaining the well-known Hägglunds advantages in new ways. One example is high efficiency from standstill all the way to maximum speed, enabled by frequency control.
High technical performance
With a nominal torque of up to 200 kNm, Thunder is exceeded in torque by some other Hägglunds motors. However, it combines that high torque with substantially higher speeds, which means that when those two are combined at the shaft, it delivers more power than ever before: up to 4300 kW.
– Even if it may seem explosive, the motor’s power is always delivered with built-in protection. The new synchronous motor can handle 200 percent overload for up to 60 seconds. The Thunder motor range is offered with optimized operating speeds up to 300 rpm. At all speeds above nominal level, efficiency remains almost constant.
That nearly constant efficiency differentiates the new motor from hydraulic motors. Hydraulic motors are often optimized for a narrow speed interval in order to achieve maximum efficiency, and at higher speeds they lose efficiency due, among other things, to increased flows. The new synchronous motor can vary, for example, between 200 and 260 rpm without losing efficiency.
High energy efficiency
With efficiency levels of up to 95 percent, the permanent magnet synchronous motor is also highly energy-efficient, which contributes to low operating costs.
– Some of our customers also see other advantages in that high efficiency. In mining, for example, they value the fact that less electrical power is needed for the drive itself, which means they have electricity left over that can be used for other applications in environments where access to unlimited power is difficult.
Almost maintenance-free
Another advantage of a permanent synchronous motor is that behind its powerful performance lies a system requiring very little maintenance. Built-in sensors provide continuous monitoring for greater reliability and longer service life.
– It is essentially maintenance-free because it has so few parts, and there is also minimal contact between them. The rotor and stator are the main motor components, but they never come into contact with each other, so they do not wear, and the magnets have no expiry date. The only components needing service are the two rolling bearings that keep the system rotating, explains Tomas Burman.
Cost-effective at high speeds
Compared with other Hägglunds motors, however, the permanent magnet synchronous motor has a somewhat higher price level.
– The base cost is higher, which means it is not suitable for every application, but for more complex systems it is very interesting. Put simply, the higher the operating speed an application requires, the more cost-effective the motor becomes. You also have to take into account that it requires so little maintenance that it becomes even more cost-effective over time.
A wide range of applications
In terms of suitable applications, the new motor operates in the speed range between a hydraulic motor and a conventional electric motor with gearbox.
– You cannot compare it with a normal hydraulic motor, which is often relatively small. Thunder is very large, weighing between 5 and 25 tonnes, so it is not something you carry under your arm, Tomas Burman says with a smile.
There are many examples of applications where the new permanent magnet synchronous motor is suitable, from drums and mills, where precise speed control and high torque improve process performance, to chemical pumps for safe and efficient handling of chemicals. Another important and popular application is large conveyor systems.
– Since it has only been a few months since we launched the motor, we have not yet reached signed orders, but we already have many customer projects under way in which the new motor is being tested with strong interest.
