Developing next generation high speed rotating motors and actuators

I like designing things that are on the edge of what’s technologically possible, while still being practical enough to be able to bring it to the masses. For me, this usually means pushing materials and designs to their limits, or working with suppliers to go even beyond those limits. This frequently involves having discussions with colleagues and customers to define goals for the products we’re designing. Getting a feel of what’s actually important to customers, and what’s not, also plays a big role in this.

Overall, these goals usually still remain very ambitious, so I usually spend my days doing research and figuring out ways to achieve them. This may seem simple, but it’s not, because we want to design a product that’s competitively priced, but also outperforms the competition. This means designing to achieve the highest power density, best dynamic performance, highest energy efficiency and lowest production cost. These are obviously conflicting characteristics, so usually I end up drafting multiple concepts until I end up with one that meets our goals the best.

After choosing the final concept, I start with the actual design, going from concept to actual functional prototypes. Once these prototypes are available, I thoroughly put them through their paces together with the rest of the team. This allows us to check if we achieved all the goals we set for the product, and adjust the design if necessary. When no further adjustments are necessary, the product can go into production.

Since I’m involved with a certain product from conceptualization to full series production, I’m always doing different things. This means there’s never a dull moment at Prodrive Technologies.

Never a dull moment at Prodrive Technologies

Pros and cons

• Fully flexible working hours

• Developing a product from concept to production

• Nice working environment

• Working with talented people

• Discussing products with high-profile customers

• Company gym with fitness instructor

• Free lunch and dinner

• No pool table