Magnomatics Ltd

A spinout company from the University of Sheffield, Magnomatics was founded in 2006 to commercialise a revolutionary magnetic gearing system, invented by company co-founder Dr Kais Atallah in 2001, capable of delivering industrial levels of torque and power.

Magnomatics have integrated this magnetic gear into a novel electric motor known as a Pseudo Direct Drive, or PDD, which offers significant advantages over traditional induction and permanent magnet motor systems. Its advantages include very high torque capability for a given motor size, protection from overloads, low maintenance and efficiencies of more than 98 per cent at full load, which also gives the benefit of a reduced requirement for cooling. In addition the PDD offers a quiet drive system, as its internal gear does not include any meshing components. Magnomatics joined NDI in 2009 specifically to access support in exploiting this PDDdrive in defence applications.

NDI Support

Initially, NDI assisted in formulating a commercial exploitation strategy that;

• Determined the applications that would most benefit from the characteristics of the PDD
• Identified potential sources of finance to develop the technology further
• Positioned the technology with respect to its technological maturity (currently MoD Technology Readiness Level 3).

Naval propulsion was identified as the priority area for investigation where compact size and quiet operation are highly desirable. PDDwould exactly complement the MoD’s strategy for all-electric ship propulsion. 

Having developed a plan of attack NDI assisted Magnomatics to engage with the Programme & Technology Group (PTG) of the MoD, specifically the Marine Systems Development Office. Discussions led to the PTG expressing a strong interest in supporting a Scoping Study to evaluate this technology for surface ship or submarine application. The Study would evaluate the electro-magnetic performance as well as de-risking such areas as vulnerability to shock, manufacturability and serviceability. 

This led to the next phase of NDI support – proposal development. A Request for Proposal had been received from the MoD, which required a professional and commercially sound response. NDI assisted Magnomatics to develop a pricing strategy and milestone payment plan. It advised on MoD contract terms and conditions and Intellectual Property considerations and on compiling the proposal document.

On the 14 July 2009 Magnomatics were awarded the contract worth over £300k to develop a compact, efficient and robust propulsion motor, suitable for use within naval vessels. 

But NDI’s involvement didn’t end there! NDI is providing a Project Manager to co-ordinate the Scoping Study and ensure delivery of the desired project outcomes whilst complying with the MoD’s reporting and documentation requirements, freeing Magnomatics personnel to concentrate on the technical challenges.

Additionally, NDI is supporting the next steps; the commercial exploitation strategy and facilitating meetings with the Navy International Programs Office (Navy IPO) and the US Navy Office of Naval Research.