Project description
Big development for micromotor winding
The copper winding is the most important component in a micromotor, which is used in all sorts of devices – from the electric toothbrush to modern industrial robots. Despite being so important, the way these copper windings are produced has not changed much over the last 40 years. They are either wound by hand or produced by expensive and complex machines. The EU-funded MicroMotors project is developing a new way to produce micromotor windings: printing them on printed circuit boards before rolling them with high precision. This approach to producing windings has many user benefits: motors are easier and less costly to prototype. The project will focus initially on the surgical/dental power tools market.
Objective
Micromotors are ubiquitous, used in your electric toothbrush, in your dentist’s drill and in modern industrial robots. The most important component that determines motor performance, functionality and longevity, is the copper winding, which dictates how much power a motor can generate for a given current. The way these copper windings are produced has not changed much over the last 40 years: they are either wound by hand for prototyping or for small production runs, or they are produced by expensive machines that are complex to operate, inflexible and viable only for large production runs.
Mirmex is transforming the way micromotor windings are produced: instead of winding copper wire by hand, Mirmex prints them on PCB’s before rolling them with high precision. This approach to producing windings has many user benefits: motors are easier and less costly to prototype, they are more flexible in design terms, more durable, lighter, become hot less quickly, feature higher torque and greater dynamics - and all at a lower cost than the incumbent technologies.
The go-to-market strategy will focus initially on the surgical/dental power tools segments because they care more about performance, weight and other value-added features than about price. Mirmex will then address the industrial/automotive sector and begin producing motors, in addition to windings. Demand is already strong: Mirmex has received purchase orders worth €80k for small quantities of prototype products and 8 LOIs.
In order to fully exploit the very high commercial potential of our innovation, Mirmex needs to demonstrate that (i) it is able to manufacture windings of exceptional quality in commercial volume, (ii) the products meet the stringent requirements for autoclavability from medical customers and (iii) our winding design software tool can interface with a higher number of materials and motor architectures. Mirmex then expects rapid scale-up, targeting revenues of €31.5m and EBITDA of €11.7m by 2024
Fields of science
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftware
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringautomotive engineering
- natural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicsgeometry
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringrobotics
- medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologyimplants
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
6464 CHIMAY
Belgium
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.