RENK Magnet-Motor GmbH – Define the state of the art
RENK Magnet-Motor GmbH is a medium-sized company based in Starnberg, Germany, which provides highly efficient technical power generation systems and drive systems for increased performance in military vehicles. This expands the scope of action in the field, increases the safety of personnel and generally ensures significantly improved efficiency of our customers' products.
We have more than 30 years of domain knowledge of our customers' requirements and challenges and support them throughout the entire development and production process, right up to installation in the vehicle. Our testing facilities enable EMC measurements and climate tests in addition to functional and system tests.
Magnet-Motor stands for the mission to strengthen customers in competition. We say: With our systems we create a distinguishable added value in their land and sea vehicles.
The path to success leads through close partnerships. Our customers find in us a contact partner at eye level, we have detailed knowledge regarding their products and their operating conditions.
Magnet-Motor was founded in 1980 by the German physicist Dr. Götz Heidelberg. Even at that time, the focus of the company's activities was on the development of novel and powerful electrical machines for the propulsion of vehicles. In doing so, the company always used young technologies that had just reached the industrial society at that time from powerful rare-earth magnets to water cooling and the patented flux compression for new, exemplary compact, electrical machines.
From prototype to series product…
The mission of Magnet-Motor is to strengthen customers in competition. With our systems, we create clear added value in their land and sea vehicles.
The road to success runs through close partnerships. In us, our customers find a counterpart who works with them on an equal footing, and we have detailed knowledge about their products and operating conditions.
In networks with cooperation partners and in the projects themselves, our technologies are under continuous development. This is how we manage to achieve systems that set trends, and how we create innovative assemblies that are suitable for a wide range of applications as standard and serial products.
From one engineer’s vision to an international company...
Magnet-Motor was founded in 1980 by German physicist Dr. Götz Heidelberg. Even then, the focus of the company’s activities was on developing new, innovative and high-performance electric machines for the propulsion of vehicles. This was done by repeatedly pushing cutting edge technologies that had just reached industrialised society – from powerful rare earth magnets and electronic power modules for new electric machines and system configurations of unprecedented compactness.
Magnet-Motor’s portfolio covers complete drive systems including motors and generators, along with the accompanying compact power electronics and control hardware and software.
In 2006, Magnet-Motor was acquired by L3 Technologies and incorporated into the Electronic Systems business segment. Within the group, Magnet-Motor assumed responsibility for the role of centre of excellence for permanent magnet technology – for both electric drive engineering and the electric power supply in military vehicles. Since 2009, these systems have been used successfully in customer projects. Since 2016, they have been available as serial products.
In 2021 Magnet-Motor was taken over by RENK GmbH and incorporated into the group as RENK Magnet-Motor GmbH.
Our focus: pioneering hybrid solutions for military vehicles and seagoing vessels
We are the professional engineering partner for high-performance power generation, from hybrid drive systems to all-electric drives, with which we fit out land vehicles and seagoing vessels for our customers. With these systems, we provide our customers with clear added value in their products.
Whether on land or at sea, military vehicles place extreme demands on their electrical systems. They must be highly resilient and robust, powerful and reliable, quiet, light and space-saving.
Magnet-Motor designs and builds electrical systems with which all of these requirements can be met. We work consistently in accordance with established military standards for both land vehicles and ships to produce technically leading tailor-made solutions for our customers.
More electric power in vehicles
When we think about retrofit programs or new power train concepts, features such as packing density and degree of integration increasingly play a decisive role, alongside traditional requirements such as performance and robustness. Our integrated starter generators, which are sandwiched as a flat disc between the combustion engine and the transmission for the mechanical drive train, and which render the alternator, starter and flywheel superfluous, make a significant contribution here. They deliver a multiple of the output of conventional alternators. The elimination of these mounted parts and their transmission of power from and to the engine (belt drive, clutch engagement and release mechanism) reduces the level of complexity and failure rate. An additional high-voltage output enables supplying electric power to external users as required (electric export power). A vehicle equipped in this way can be used as a mobile power plant that can be deployed in a short time, and that can therefore replace or supplement static and cumbersome infrastructure elements.
Magnet-Motor has the know-how and experience in all-electric drive systems and can provide a range of references, particularly for in-hub wheel drives. The mechanical drive train is completely replaced by the electric drive made up of the generator at the combustion engine and electric drive motors. For wheeled vehicles, the elimination of the mechanical power transmission elements can be used for the design of a lower vehicle silhouette. The drive motors are controlled independently, increasing the mobility of the vehicle and allowing a range of manoeuvres that are not possible with a mechanical drive, for example, a minimal curve radius up to and including pivot turn and widely extendable wheel-suspension for extreme ground clearance.
Improved performance and new flexibility at sea
In the area of naval vessel propulsion, issues such as noise emissions and energy efficiency play a crucial role. The challenging requirements here are met mainly by means of electric hybrid technology. Purely mechanical drives made up of Diesel engines or gas turbines with reduction gears are combined with an additional electric drive, which handles the lion’s share of missions. The electric machines are designed for the low power output range and are supplied from the existing on-board power supply or from a separate Diesel engine generator set. In low-power operation, only the electric drive operates and the main drive is stopped. This significantly improves overall energy efficiency, as the electric drive operates much more effectively than the main drive in the lower power range.
Magnet-Motor can point to many years of experience and sample applications in the ship and submarine sector. The MM machines are considerably smaller and lighter by factors than conventional technology. We have developed engineering methods to take account of the highly specific requirements in machine design in this area, particularly in terms of minimum noise emissions and electromagnetic compatibility. The high torque and high performance of MM motors and generators make MM technology the first choice, especially where installation spaces are small, as is the case in submarine applications.
With our hybrid solutions we create a distinctive added value in our customers’ products.
Relevant products & technologies
Electrification and hybrid drives are our core competences.
High-performance drive motors, high-performance generators and rugged electronics for your optimized hybrid or electric mobility: we design the optimum overall system for any military vehicle. Compact, adaptable and reliable by proven, high quality design.
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