Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. A global market leader in sensing and power products for controlling motion as well as energy-efficient systems, today announced they have shipped their 3 billionth motor driver-integrated circuit (IC) which is the foundation for the quality the motion control division. The company’s reliable and trusted motor drivers have enabled customers from all over the world develop safer, more durable motor-drive systems with greater reliability. They are used in industrial, automotive, and consumer various products, from electric vehicles as well as data center servers to electric power tools with cordless technology.
The rapid growth of electrification as well as advanced driver assistance systems within the automotive industry is leading to the need for high-performance drivers that can to reduce noise, boost efficiency, and incorporate functions that allows designers to cut components and reduce the overall cost of systems. Automobile manufacturers require products that are able to cope with the extreme conditions inside modern vehicles while meeting the highest safety standards and extending battery life between recharge cycles, and also reducing weight. Allegro motor drivers are used in numerous critical applications, including starter generators, cooling fans transmissions, and the latest battery system that can handle 48 volts.
The past 10 years have witnessed a shift towards battery-operated needs in the industrial sector too and a particular concentration on extending the operating interval between charges in devices like the order-picking robots you find in fulfillment warehouses. This shift is also happening in consumer goods such as power tools that are cordless, that are quickly replacing older corded models. Allegro motor drivers are able to meet or exceed the requirements of customers for both consumer and industrial applications through integrating functions, reducing the size of packaging, and increasing the user experience to aid manufacturers in reducing expenses, simplify bill of materials (BOMs) and create smaller size form factors.
Allegro attributes a lot of its recent success to its development process, which is based on partnerships and co-development with clients, and has of these relationships that span more than two years. Through close collaboration with customers as well as Allegro’s Allegro team often is in a position to design single-chip solutions to meet the needs of different use scenarios, which allows many customers to shift to one-platform solutions for various products. This could result in significant savings for businesses that market products that have multiple voltage requirements, including lawn and power tools.
“We add value by helping our customers improve time to market and reduce development cycles; we win when they win, and that motivates us to continue developing new motor driver products,” says Steve Lutz, Business Line Director for Motors (Automotive) at Allegro. “We continue to innovate with new products that reduce energy consumption, improve battery life, and minimize carbon footprints.”
Allegro’s Allegro team has increased its investments into the motor driver R&D in recent years, resulting in more advancements to its extensive range of motion control IP. The new product, which was launched in 2019, Allegro’s QuietMotionTM motor drivers feature first-to-market Field-oriented Control (FOC) brushless DC (BLDC) electric motor controllers that are code-free. The devices are made to deliver reliable and effective low-audible-noise operation while also decreasing design cycle times through simple parameter settings that users can access via an intuitive user interface.
“Many of our customers–especially ones in emerging growth markets–lack software development resources specifically for motor drivers, and often rely on freelancers and contractor programmers,” says Andy Wang, Product Line Director for Motors (Industrial) at Allegro. “We’re helping those customers significantly reduce development overhead by embedding code directly into the IC, which helps them get to market faster.”
Allegro products are developed to have positive social and environmental benefits by helping customers face the world’s challenges in environmental pollution, energy efficiency and sustainable, clean energy. Allegro takes a sustainable-first approach to semiconductor design and manufacturing and integrates sustainable practices into its operations and supply chain. Alongside electric and hybrid vehicles Allegro motor drivers are used in various applications designed to decrease the environmental impact of the use of solar panels, data centers cooling fans high-efficiency HVAC systems, and many more.
