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Electric Motor Design & Simulation
For SOLIDWORKS Users
About MotorWizard
MotorWizard is a template-based motor design software which is completely integrated inside SOLIDWORKS. It allows SOLIDWORKS users to build and analyze different electric machine designs.
It makes the study of the electric machines flexible and easy by giving access to a wide range of customizable dimensions and parameters that fully define the design of the electric machines. Equipped with integrated analytical and finite element-based solvers, the process of electric motor design becomes readily effortless, accurate and quick.
Main Features and capabilities
Easy Topology Editor: Customizable templates for easy and fast development of the different electric machine models obviating the need to create model from scratch in SOLIDWORKS.
Automatic Winding Editor: Ability to automatically create different winding configurations such as single- or double-layer, concentrated or distributed, full pitched or shorted pitch easily.
User-Friendly and Intuitive Interface: Short learning curve and easy to use program, contains predefined setup and results thereby avoiding the process of defining scenarios, mesh refinement and boundary conditions.
Diversity of Results: Provides both analytical and finite element results to accelerate the process of analysis and providing accurate results for the machine performance.
Large Customizable Material Library: Wide range of materials such as permanent magnets, steel lamination, conductors and insulators are included in the material library.
Three types of analysis are used in MotorWizard.
Analytical Analysis
This analysis is based on the well-known analytical models of the machine developed in the recent up-to-date scientific literature. The models utilize detailed geometry of the machine plus winding structure to estimate machine parameters such as back EMF constant, stator phase resistance and different inductance. Using materials properties, the core loss is also estimated by this model.
The estimated parameters are used to predict the steady-state performance of the machine such as
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Torque-Speed curve,
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Input and Output Powers vs Speed
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Efficiency Map
This type of analysis helps user to get a general understanding of steady-state machine performance in a very short time to see if the designed machine meets the design requirements such as torque, power and efficiency.
Semi Analytical Analysis
This is a combination of analytical and finite element analysis. In this case, finite element analysis is used to estimate airgap flux density and inductance of the phases. These results along with analytically calculated stator resistance is used to estimate back EMF constant and consequently predict steady state performance of the machine similarly to analytical analysis.
Finite Element Analysis
Finite element analysis is a numerical method to analyze the performance of electrical machine. It has ability to include detailed geometry of rotor and stator, winding distribution, slotting effect and electromagnetic properties of material in the analysis. Therefore, it provides the most accurate type of results. In MotorWizard, the Magnetostatic finite element analysis is used to provide the different results at different operating condition of the machine. Results at no-load and loaded conditions are the most desirable ones, however, the results are not limited to them and some performance characteristics analysis is also available. Unlike analytical and semi-analytical analysis which are mostly based on steady-state results and average (or RMS) values of parameters, direct effects of different features of machine such as geometry, complexity and electromagnetic properties of material can be observed on finite element results such as back EMF waveform and torque ripple profiles.
Some interesting results using finite element analysis which are available in MotorWizard are:
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Winding Flux Linkage Waveform
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Back EMF Waveforms
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Cogging Torque
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Inductance Profile
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Torque and Torque Ripple
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Magnetic Flux Density Distribution
The proper scenarios are defined and implemented in MotorWizard to simplify the process of analysis for achieving these results. Generating meshes and applying boundary conditions are optimized and conducted automatically to obtain the most accurate results in a short time.
Easy Topology Designer
MotorWizard is an advanced CAD tool providing a flexible parametrization panel that gives access to an available wide range of templates’ sketches and features. Thus, it transforms the 2D SOLIDWORKS assembly into a fully defined electric machine.
Different motor designs can be generated by customizing the default templates. Permanent Magnets Brushless DC is supported with many types and shapes of rotor and stator parts.
The topology editor turns the complex machine design into an easy and quick process with the auto-correction feature that computes adequate dimensions based on the selected configuration.
Quick Performance Predictor
The initial performance prediction is a crucial step in motor design tests; thus, based on wisely defined approaches, instantaneous calculations of the design characteristics can be processed in few clicks. By entering the input data, multiple steady- state results can be viewed and analyzed such as: Torque waveform, Air gap flux density, Back EMF, winding flux linkage, phase inductance, Co-energy, Core losses, etc.
Electromagnetic machine behavior can also be accurately predicted through the Finite element-based analysis (FEA) where different test-oriented results can be obtained.
In MotorWizard, FEA simulation can be performed for different machine operating conditions such as No-load and Full-load.
User-Friendly Interface
MotorWizard offers a user-friendly interface that makes the management of the created designs intuitive and time saving. Step by step, a heuristic workflow offers a concise period of mastering all the available tools and their features.
Multiple analysis can be carried out in a short time and a restoration of previous design specifications is always permitted which makes the optimization of the design quicker and more efficient.
MotorWizard Results
Having defined major winding and power supply properties, you can readily obtain a variety of machine performance characteristics, including:
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Torque – Speed curve
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Inductance profile
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Torque – Angle profile
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Winding Flux Linkage waveform
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Current waveform
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Co-energy
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Air Gap Flux Density
The FEA results include:
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Winding Flux Linkage per phase
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Back EMF per phase
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Cogging Torque
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Inductance per phase
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Static Torque
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Magnetic Field Distribution
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Magnetic Flux Density Distribution
MotorWizard is a template-based motor design software which is completely integrated inside SOLIDWORKS. It allows SOLIDWORKS users to build and analyze different electric machine designs.
It makes the study of the electric machines flexible and easy by giving access to a wide range of customizable dimensions and parameters that fully define the design of the electric machines. Equipped with integrated analytical and finite element-based solvers, the process of electric motor design becomes readily effortless, accurate and quick.
• The performance and speed of simulation have been improved.
• DQ inductance calculation has been added to the results section.
• Two templates of permanent magnet motor with inset magnets have been
added.
• The automatic winding section has been improved to include more
configurations of the double-layer winding.
• The manual winding option has been improved.
• Efficiency map calculation based on Maximum Torque Per Ampere (MPTA) has
been improved.
Currently, only radial permanent magnet motors are supported by MotorWizard.
The following permanent magnet motor templates are available in MotorWizard:
• Surface Mounted Permanent Magnet Motor.
• Surface Mounted Permanent Magnet Motor with segmented magnet.
• Bread Loaf Permanent Magnet Motor.
• Inset Permanent Magnet Motor.
• Buried-Type Permanent Magnet Motor.
• Spoke-Type Permanent Magnet Motor.
• Outrunner and Inrunner Rotor Configurations.
MotorWizard uses the maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) approach to estimate the performance of the machine at different speeds.
MotorWizard provides two types of analyses. Most results are based on pure finite element analysis. However, MotorWizard utilizes semi-analytical analysis to provide performance analysis results such as efficiency map and torque speed curve. The semi-analytical method uses both FEA and analytical methods. The analytical method uses the famous dq model of the machine.
MotorWizard provides the analysis of machines with square-wave signal excitation which corresponds to brushless DC motor (BLDC) operation and sine wave excitation which corresponds to permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) operation.
The following results are available in performance analysis section:
• Torque vs Speed,
• Input and output powers vs Speed,
• DQ Voltage vs Speed,
• DQ Current vs Speed,
• Core Losses vs Speed,
• Copper Losses vs Speed,
• Efficiency Map, etc.
MotorWizard offers an option to automatically create different winding configurations such as single- or double-layer, concentrated or distributed, full pitched or shorted pitch easily.
We believe that MotorWizard automatic winding section offers many diverse winding configurations which you may benefit from. If more is required, then you can apply your desired winding configuration using the manual winding table provided by MotorWizard. However, you make sure that your desired winding has a balanced configuration.
Yes.
Bejamin Ramseyer - Student
South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyEMWorks has been tremendously helpful in my journey to design my brushless motor prototype. MotorWizard was the main tool that I used in the design process. It felt intuitive and relatively easy to navigate. The integration inside SOLIDWORKS is seamless! Once the stator is designed, it is very easy to create a 3D model. Overall, I am very pleased and thankful for all the support that I received from EMWorks team. The motor has been tested and the results are accurate. It works just as expected.
I would strongly recommend MotorWizard solution to my colleagues and professors!