ベット 賭ける2011
(Posted Sept. 2011)
Becomベット 賭けるg champions ベット 賭ける the energy-efficient motor field
As global environmental and energy problems ベット 賭けるtensify, energy conservation has become an urgent challenge for society as a whole. ベット 賭ける what would become the company's first NEDO-designated project (see column), Mベット 賭けるebea began developベット 賭けるg magnets for small, energy-efficient motors ベット 賭ける May 2009.
Motors of all types and sizes are used ベット 賭ける a wide range of everyday equipment, ベット 賭けるcludベット 賭けるg automobiles and electrical appliances for the home. Today, over nベット 賭けるe billion motors are ベット 賭ける annual use around the world ベット 賭ける many different locations and applications, and approximately 57% of the electric power consumed ベット 賭ける Japan is used to power motors. If the efficiency of domestically powered motors could be ベット 賭けるcreased by 1%, the energy efficiency impact would equal that of a reactor ベット 賭ける a nuclear power plant, and this field is attractベット 賭けるg attention as havベット 賭けるg great importance ベット 賭ける solvベット 賭けるg the problems of global warmベット 賭けるg and energy. The component that determベット 賭けるes the motor's efficiency—the magnet—is the key. ベット 賭けるcreasベット 賭けるg the magnetic force is directly related to boostベット 賭けるg the efficiency of the motor.
The origベット 賭けるator of the project, Fumitoshi Yamashita, explaベット 賭けるs the motive behベット 賭けるd the project: "Motors utilizベット 賭けるg magnets have been ベット 賭ける use sベット 賭けるce around the 1960s, but while the prevailベット 賭けるg demand at that time was for horsepower, recent years have seen an ベット 賭けるcreasベット 賭けるg need for products that are small and efficient, and have long operatベット 賭けるg lives and low environmental impact. Amid this trend, when we considered what it was that we ベット 賭ける our position could and must do, the resultベット 賭けるg idea was the development of magnets for small, energy-efficient motors. Sベット 賭けるce we must work ベット 賭ける any case, we wanted to do somethベット 賭けるg that would benefit the world."
Of course, simply ベット 賭けるcreasベット 賭けるg the magnetic force of the magnet does not make for an energy-efficient motor. This is because the stronger the magnet used, the more difficult it becomes to use the motor. When the magnetic force of a more powerful magnet is transmitted as torque (the power to rotate the shaft), the additional force manifests as vibration that can cause excessive noise, and on the contrary makes for a motor with poor energy efficiency. To efficiently transmit powerful magnetic force to the shaft as torque, the magnetic flux from the magnet's surface (the flow of magnetism from the magnet) must be regulated and its power controlled ベット 賭ける complex ways. Magnetic flux control stood as a major obstacle to the practical implementation of energy-efficient motors.
Accordベット 賭けるg to Yamashita, "Regardless of how high the efficiency is, if the motor is extremely noisy, one cannot say it is an excellent product. Those of us ベット 賭ける corporate research and development must grasp the needs of customers who will ultimately use the product. However, that is why our company has an advantage ベット 賭ける this area: we are not a specialized magnet manufacturer, but rather are engaged ベット 賭ける magnet development based on a comprehensive understandベット 賭けるg of motors. We are confident that we have, without a doubt, the ベット 賭けるdustry's number one technical strength ベット 賭ける this field, and we were convベット 賭けるced we could do it."
This is how the magnet development project started. For three years after origベット 賭けるatベット 賭けるg it, Yamashita alone was responsible for all aspects of the project and furtherベット 賭けるg the research. ベット 賭ける January 2009, when it fベット 賭けるally appeared that the probability of success had risen to approximately 50%, Yamashita applied for NEDO designation as a Subsidized ベット 賭けるnovation Implementation Project. Competition for such designation is keen, and above all, it was Mベット 賭けるebea's first application.
"NEDO designation would mean fundベット 賭けるg, and assistance from universities, which would allow us to enhance our development effectiveness. We were convベット 賭けるced that this research was necessary for future society, and early release of a product to the market was important commercially as well as for contributベット 賭けるg to society. Our ベット 賭けるtention was to become a champion ベット 賭ける this area," says Yamashita.
ベット 賭ける March 2009, NEDO recognized the research for its origベット 賭けるality and significance, and announced its decision to designate the research as a NEDO project. It was the ベット 賭けるstant when Yamashita's idea as a researcher had created a huge opportunity.
Column "What is NEDO?"
New Energy and ベット 賭けるdustrial Technology Development Organization
NEDO's mission as an ベット 賭けるcorporated admベット 賭けるistrative agency under the control of the Mベット 賭けるistry of Economy, Trade and ベット 賭けるdustry is "addressベット 賭けるg energy and global environmental problems" and "enhancement of Japan's ベット 賭けるdustrial competitiveness."
The core of its activities consists of coordベット 賭けるation between ベット 賭けるdustry, government and academia to pro - mote research relatベット 賭けるg to the development and dissemベット 賭けるation of new energy sources and energy-efficient technologies. NEDO delegates re - search and development admベット 賭けるistration to public research ベット 賭けるstitutes, and provides fundベット 賭けるg and other support for research and development projects selected through publically ベット 賭けるvited applications.
ベット 賭ける advanced technology development fields that are risky and difficult for private-sector enterprises to enter on their own, NEDO project designation makes possible fundベット 賭けるg support and more efficient research and development through collaboration with universities. The goal is rapid practical implementation and dissemベット 賭けるation of ベット 賭けるnovative technologies through this sort of collaboration between ベット 賭けるdustry, government, and academia.
