Engineers at CORE Outdoor Power developed a printed circuit board-based rotary motor that's as strong as a gas-powered one, but without the emissions and noise.
Since the 1950s, the brain of any electronic device has been a printed circuit board (PCB), a piece of substrate that contains all—or most—of a device’s electrical components, including wires, switches, and processors. Rather than using PCBs simply as a control center, engineers at Montana-based CORE Outdoor Power are using them as a power source. They’ve developed a PCB-based rotary motor that’s as strong as a gas-powered one, but without the emissions and noise.
The CORE motor consists of a circular multilayer PCB sandwiched between two ring-shaped magnets. Electricity from a lithium polymer battery passes through 10 layers of copper conductors in the PCB. The current causes the magnets to spin, which then turns the motor.
CORE’s motor is built into the Power Lok yard-tool system. A battery-equipped base unit transfers power to swappable hedge-trimmer, string-trimmer, and blower heads, each with its own 0.5--–1.5hp motor. The company says the technology is scalable; it’s already created motors that produce up to 4,000 hp—enough to run wind turbines, ventilation systems, and even oil pumps.
A New Type Of Motor Made From Gadget GutsConductor Optimized Rotary Energy or CORE™ technology replaces the heavy wire wound motors of the past with an innovative, multi-layered printed circuit board (PCB). These circuit board layers are laminated and inter-connected in a unique way that create an efficient, compact, and incredibly powerful motor. CORE™ GasLess™ technology has been embraced by a diverse group of consumers and applications. From heavy industry to mainstream American manufacturing. CORE™ motors can even be found on U.S. Naval vessels. CORE™ GasLess™ technology is a time tested, field proven alternative for conventional motor uses. CORE™ GasLess™ motors produce the highest energy factor per pound of any existing motor at a fraction of the size and weight, in fact CORE ™ motors produce more torque than a commercial two-cycle gas engine.
CORE Outdoor PowerQ: Why do you think this product is a game changer?
A: Basically, by using the printed circuit board, we've made it the simplest design to manufacture of any electric motor out there. Typical electric motors require a lot of really expensive tooling to wind windings, wrap around steel armatures, and stamp out all these steel plates. We're using manufacturers around the world that are already creating millions of circuit boards a year. We can also change the design on the fly. We don't have to retool winding equipment for a new design. We just design it on the computer, hand it off to the manufacturer, and it gets printed on copper panels.
The other benefit is from a performance standpoint. Because we use a circuit board, we can put our magnets really close together so we get a lot more flux in our motor and not have as much resistance in the stator, which allows us to get higher power in a smaller package. Typically, we can get the same power output in about a third of the size of a traditional motor.
Q: Why use this technology for outdoor power equipment?
A: Outdoor power equipment has lacked innovation for years. Black & Decker and other [similar] companies have used little power tool motors that aren't powerful enough to compete with gas. They're not high performance or good quality. On the other end of the spectrum, the gas-powered stuff has plenty of power. Yet anyone who has ever dealt with gas outdoor power equipment knows the hassle and the difficulty that comes with a gas engine. So we found we could offer a good benefit competing with a gas-powered product.
Q: Where else is your tech going?
A: Some of our stuff is licensed in the military on shipboard applications. We started that relationship by offering them weight savings versus their conventional motor. We jumped into the oil industry and, using the same concept of printed circuit boards and magnets, were able to drive a mud pump up to 1000 hp and 1200 lb-ft of torque.
In 2009, we decided to take a really big step and started Boulder Wind Power to take the motor to a 40-foot-diameter generator for wind turbines. Boulder Wind Power is developing some of the first CORE-powered wind turbines right now.
Q: Where do you plan on taking this technology next?
A: We really had to focus on the low-hanging fruit. Wind turbines were an obvious fit for us. We offer some unique benefits there as far as weight savings, cost savings, and overall reliability. There's no doubt we'll also get into the agriculture and automotive industry.
Q: Describe the CORE Outdoor Power products you currently have on the market.
A: We launched the trimmer last year in March, and it has set the tone for CORE Outdoor Power. We've focused heavily on competing with gas-powered stuff on a commercial level. We want to get our product into the hands of the commercial guys—the guys that are making money with these products and whose livelihoods depend on them. We want to start with that, but then let it make its way down to the producers of the world—the do-it-yourselfers — and then eventually hit the mass market in a couple of years.
Q: How cost-effective are these products?
A: Just at the starting price point, we're competitive with gas-powered stuff. It also saves a huge amount on operation and maintenance costs. A typical commercial guy will spend $500 to $600 a year on gas for one trimmer. So look at running our unit for a year—the cost of electricity is minuscule to charge a power cell, and that's just one unit. You can imagine a commercial guy that's outfitted with five or six units. It's an enormous amount of savings.
Q: Is it environmentally friendly?
A: Absolutely. It's also clean, and it doesn't make anyone angry in the morning when you walk by the window because it virtually doesn't make any noise. You also don't have to inhale smoke while you're running it.
What Drives CORE's Quiet Gasless Motors - Popular MechanicsThe oil barrel is half-full.
