Magmotor provides systems for a range of applications, including industrial robotics. Source: Magmotor
Magmotor Technologies Inc., originally founded in 1876 under the name Kendrick and Davis, or K&D, in Lebanon, N.H., has been quietly manufacturing custom AC and DC fan motors.
In its 102nd year, Herbert Peterson bought the business, changed its name to K&D Magmotor, and relocated its offices to Worcester, Mass. Now in its sesquicentennial year, Magmotor is planning a major expansion that it said will triple its income and its number of employees.
Production manager Jamie Willigar has been with the enterprise for 21 years; senior mechanical design engineer Scott Cerra is nearing his 20th anniversary on the job; and fellow production team members have over 25 years with the company.
Many of Magmotor’s customers – in such industries as aerospace, defense, and high-tech – have been just as loyal. The company noted that many of its products have lasted 15 to 20 years with no issues.
Magmotor asserted that its high-quality designs, commitment to customer service, and ability to adapt to changing markets and consumer needs has brought it from the horse-and-buggy era to designing engines for modern space travel.
Training has not been an issue, said Willigar, but that is about to change. As the company continues to rebound from the COVID-19 era, it plans to hire a new generation who will learn from the 25-year veterans before they retire.
And, with a growing customer base and some exciting new ventures, Willigar said he expects Magmotor – and its product portfolio – to be around for many years to come.
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Magmotor specializes in brush motors
Cerra added that Magmotor still specializes in brush motors, even as many other companies have converted to brushless motors. One key reason is that legacy items still need brush motors, which are so dependable that they are often preferred by NASA and the space industry.
The bulk of Magmotor’s work is in the arena of customized designs that fit a specific company’s needs — those that cannot be purchased off the shelf (OTS).
Shortly after former U.S. President Bill Clinton empowered China to achieve most-favored nation status, Magmotor moved most of its production work to Chinese partners, which have maintained the firm’s quality standards. “That’s why we do all the design work in house,” said Willigar.
“We still do the final assembly in house and would like to bring at least some manufacturing back to the States, at least on a smaller scale to support U.S. sales, but there is a lot of overhead and costs involved to do so,” acknowledged Cerra. “It also takes time and personnel.”
Magmotor provides brushed motors with two- and four-pole options. Source: Magmotor
Company serves a differentiated market
Magmotor said its brush motors were used in the NASA Rover and for BattleBots robots. An Italian company recently began using its brush motors to power robots that clean the sides of ships.
It noted that the reliability of its motors is a major selling point. Other uses include elevators, diving companies, electric lawnmowers, GPS guided equipment, and more. “We believe our motors will have increasing utility in the robotics industry,” said Willigar.
Magmotor’s systems use neodymium magnets that it said can gain more power from small motors. The company’s smallest motors are about 1.5 by 2 in. (3.8 to 5 cm), and the largest weigh up to 65 lb. (29.4 kg) and have operating speeds up to 6,000 rpm.
Willigar said he used to think of other motor companies as competitors — until he realized they do different things. They do not make the motors Magmotor makes, and Magmotor doesn’t make the motors they make, he observed.
“The motor industry is large, and it should be conducive to our working together, rather than being cutthroat to our mutual disadvantage,” said Willigar. “The motor industry serves many other industries, and the motors which we – and they – manufacture often save lives and make progress possible. After all, motors are used everywhere – and robotics is opening up an entirely new field for the motor industry.”
Magmotor considers a return to AC
It has been a long time since Magmotor built AC motors, which are a lot different from DC motors in which it specializes today, said Cerra. But the company is indeed again thinking of returning to building AC motors and also building more brushless motors.
It’s not a huge jump, but it does require time and effort to create new designs. Nonetheless, Magmotor will not abandon brush motors, which have been the backbone of its product line for decades.
“At Magmotor, it is really not just about modernization or pushing the newest technology,” Cerra claimed. “For us, it is more about being present and truly supporting the customers needs for the long term.”
“If we cannot provide exactly what a customer needs, we will do our best to help point them in the right direction or connect them with someone who can,” he added. “We want to modernize and improve systems, but not at the expense of customer support and relationships.”
Magmotor also provides four-pole brushless DC motors with neodymium magnets. Source: Magmotor
Each OTS, custom project gets equal treatment
Magmotor said another differentiator is that it is willing to work on projects that a lot of manufacturers would not even consider unless there is high volume or large upfront spending involved. The company said it works with everyone from small, mom-and-pop firms all the way to multimillion-dollar corporations.
“For example, right now, we are working closely with a husband-and-wife company in the U.K. on custom motor solutions, and we approach that relationship the same way we would approach our larger industrial customers,” Willigar said.
Cerra further noted that a growing part of Magmotor’s business is helping companies reduce downtime and supply chain disruptions.
“We recently had a customer whose entire system was down because their original motor supplier no longer supported the product,” he said. “They came to us with the old motor, and we engineered a replacement that improved performance, durability, and overall build quality, while getting their equipment back up and running. That is the kind of real-world problem solving we focus on every day.”
Custom motors can save designers time, money, and frustration, Magmotor says. Source: Magmotor
Magmotor works to strengthen U.S. partnerships
Magmotor said it continues to strengthen partnerships with its U.S.-based customers for encoders, brakes, gearboxes, and other motion-control components in order to provide more complete integrated solutions.
“Internally, we are building our inventory of common off-the-shelf motors that can ship immediately to help customers reduce downtime, and we encourage blanket POs so products continue flowing and arrive on time,” said Willigar. “At the same time, we are always looking at ways to improve our internal processes, motor performance, and engineering support.”
“We work very closely with customer engineers to make sure the motor specs are correct for the application, because every system and environment is different,” he said. “Our goal is not just to sell a motor, but to help customers build reliable systems that perform better and last longer.”
Ultimately, Magmotor has a long history as a New England manufacturer and motor designer. That’s the American dream on display. Innovation, hard work, and honesty are among the foundations that built this nation from the ground up, and it’s exciting to watch Magmotor Technologies play its role in an evolutionary environment to help rebuild our marketplace stronger and more resilient than ever.
About the author
Duggan Flanakin is the director of policy research at the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow. A former senior fellow with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Flanakin authored works on the creation of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and on environmental education in Texas. A brief history of his multifaceted career appears in his book, Infinite Galaxies: Poems from the Dugout.