Plettenberg

Plettenberg is a leading developer and manufacturer of tailored electric drive solutions for the unmanned systems market. We are the global leader in high-performance inrunner BLDC drone motors.

Our product range also includes outrunner BLDC motors, brushed DC motors, ESCs, generators and starters as well as related accessories. Our drive systems are unrivalled in their robustness, power-to-weight ratio, efficiency and compactness, making them suitable for heavy-duty professional and defense applications in harsh environments.All our drive solutions are made-to-order and tailored to the specific requirements of our customers, such as adjustments to housing, shaft, number of poles, winding, cooling, IP rating, etc. These customizations allow us to build the most efficient solutions for your specific load profile. Our engineering team works hand-in-hand with you, to provide the required technical support and system integration advice.

Plettenberg manufactures all products in Germany and has a strict quality system which is EN 9100:2018 certified.

Electric Motors

Inrunner & Outrunner BLDC drone motors

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Inrunner BLDC Motors for Drones & UAV

Our inrunner BLDC motor series consist of the NOVA and the ADVANCE families. The NOVA family has a robust closed case design and is available in the power range from 1 kW to 50 kW. The ADVANCE family has a light-weight open case design and is available in the power range from 1 kW to 5 kW.

Our inrunners are very robust in design and available with protection class of up to IP67. This makes them ideally suited for application in harsh environments, such as snow, desert or sea operation.

For our inrunner motors, we achieve a high torque density by using high pole numbers (up to 70) and special design of the magnetic system. For most applications, the use of gear boxes can be mitigated, which reduces system cost and weight significantly.

More information: Inrunner BLDC Motors

Over the years, we have advanced the design of our outrunners to make them suitable for application in the commercial and defense UAV sector. Our outrunner motors are extremely compact in design and have leading power-to-weight ratios.

More information: Outrunner BLDC Motors

Maritime Propulsion Solutions

Rugged Inrunner BLDC Motors for UUVs & USVs

Each motor is tailored to ideally match the load profile of the customer application, and for many requirements can also be delivered as a complete propulsion unit with an integrated Plettenberg ESC. Oil-filled housings are available for deep-sea applications.

More information: Maritime Propulsion Solutions

Redundant Motor Solutions

Custom BLDC drone motors with redundant capabilities

Based on our proven NOVA inrunner motors, the Nova X series has been developed to address drone OEM requirements for safe and certifiable propulsion solutions. Featuring up to three redundant windings powered by independent ESCs, these high-reliability motors enable UAVs to perform safe emergency landings even if one ESC fails and a winding segment of the motor is destroyed.

All NOVA X-Series motors can be tailored to specific user requirements, with a wide variety of options for thermal design, ingress protection up to IP67, winding, number of poles, and more.

More information: Redundant Motor Solutions

Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs)

High performance ESCs for unmanned systems

We highly recommend using our motors and ESCs as a combined system solution for optimal performance; the use of competing products can compromise the efficiency, weight and size advantages. Our engineering team will help you in designing the right ESC solution and support you in system integration, including ESC configuration, ideal power supply and thermal management.

More information: Drone & UAV ESCs

Our systems are available as external generator (separate to combustion engine), attachment kits (to be attached to combustion engine) or as integration kits (to be integrated in combustion engine housing). Our generators can be used for boxer engines, inline engines and single-cylinder engines from 100-650 cm³.

More information: Generators & Starters

Accessories

The Plettenberg Gold Plug series was specifically developed for UAV applications. While competing products are made from steel, we produce the Gold Plug from aluminum with a gold cover, which saves 50% of weight and easily accumulates to more than 120 g in a single UAV application. The Gold Plug features a special design which prevents loosening from shocks or vibration, making it ideal for use in harsh environments. The Gold Plug also allows frequent plugging and soldering without affecting the clamping force.

More information: Accessories

Engineering Services

Throughout the design and development phase of your project, our engineering team works hand-in-hand with you to develop a drive solution tailored to your application. You will benefit from our extensive expertise around motor-ESC configuration as well as drive system integration, including ideal power supply and thermal management. Our team also programs the firmware according to your specific requirements.

More information: Engineering Services

Applications

Find out more: Electric Drive Solutions for Unmanned Systems & Robotics >