Application Guide
Direct Drive Motors
Industry Application Overview
Schaeffler Industrial Drives Direct Drives — Industry Application Guide
Direct-drive technology converts electrical energy directly into motion, eliminating the elasticity, backlash, friction and hysteresis introduced by every intermediate element in a drive train. The Schaeffler Industrial Drives direct-drive portfolio spans torque motors (rotary), linear motors (linear), RDDS rotary direct-drive subsystems and Z-axis subsystems — delivering zero backlash, maintenance-free operation, high dynamics and high precision for machine tools, semiconductor, electronics assembly, metrology & inspection, laser processing, automation and robotics.
Industry Applications
Browse Applications by IndustryBrowse applications by industry
Each industry page is built around the official application scope of Schaeffler Industrial Drives, indicating the motor series for each application; scenarios without official documentation are marked as "comparable industry applications" and are not presented as OEM case studies.
Machine Tools & Rotary Tables
Machine Tools & Rotary Tables
Grinding, milling, turning, machining centers, HSC high-speed cutting, NC rotary indexing tables, swivel axes, workpiece spindles and 5-axis milling heads / dual swivel heads. Torque motors drive rotary axes; L1 / L7 iron-core linear motors drive feed axes.
RKI · RIB RE · SRV L1 · L7
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Semiconductor & Wafer Processing
Semiconductor & Wafer Processing
Wafer positioning, AOI, wafer dicing, probe testing, laser annealing and die bonding. UPLplus ironless linear motors provide high-dynamic positioning, paired with Z-axis subsystems for fast Pick & Place.
UPLplus L1 Z-Axis Subsystem
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Electronics Assembly & PCB
Electronics Assembly & PCB
Surface-mount technology, die / wire bonding, PCB handling and Pick & Place. Linear motors paired with Z-axis subsystems as press-down axes; RDDS subsystems as Pick & Place positioning tables (OEM productronics application).
Linear Motors Z-Axis Subsystem RDDS
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Optical Inspection & Metrology
Optical Inspection & Metrology
AOI optical inspection, coordinate measuring machines (CMM), microscopes and test machines. RDDS rotary subsystems as testing tables (OEM metrology application); UPLplus and Z-axis subsystems deliver smooth measuring motion.
RDDS UPLplus RMK · RMF
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Laser Processing
Laser Processing
Laser cutting, welding and marking. Linear motors drive gantry and scanning axes, delivering high dynamics and constant velocity; RDDS rotary subsystems serve rotary axes in the laser industry (OEM application).
L1 · L7 UPLplus RDDS
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Automation & Robotics
Automation & Robotics
Robot kinematics, automation handling axes, Pick & Place positioning tables and testing tables (RDDS OEM application). Torque motors as rotary joints and tables; linear motors paired with Z-axis subsystems for high-speed pick-and-place.
RDDS RKI · RMK/RMF Linear + Z-Axis
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Medical & Life Sciences
Medical & Life Sciences
Surgical robots, lab automation, diagnostic and analytical instruments. Ironless UPLplus and L1 linear motors provide clean, maintenance-free, smooth precision motion, ideal for the miniaturization demands of medical equipment.
UPLplus L1
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Printing & Packaging
Printing & Packaging
Printing machinery and packaging machinery. RIB and RKI torque motors deliver high dynamics and excellent synchronization; segmented motors suit large-diameter rotary axes; linear motors drive high-speed reciprocating axes.
RIB · RKI Segmented Linear Motors
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Product Portfolio
Direct Drive Product FamiliesDirect Drive Product Families
The Schaeffler Industrial Drives direct-drive portfolio covers three main categories: rotary (torque motors), linear (linear motors) and ready-to-use subsystems.
Torque Motors Torque Motors
RIB
RIB — The Strong One
The Strong One · Internal-Rotor
Slotted permanent-magnet excited AC synchronous internal-rotor direct-drive motor with a fully potted stator and external liquid cooling. Delivers up to 20% more torque or 30% lower power loss than comparable motors, with low torque ripple — ideal for precise positioning.
RKI · RKIB
RKI · RKIB — The Fast One
The Fast One · High-Performance Internal-Rotor
Slotted high-performance internal-rotor motor with a laminated magnet carrier that reduces eddy-current losses. Peak torque 88 – 17,670 Nm, outer diameter 230 – 1030 mm, available in R10 / R12 / R22 magnet versions; compared to RI: +30% torque, +400% speed.
RE
RE — The Special One
The Special One · External-Rotor
Slotted permanent-magnet external-rotor AC synchronous motor achieving maximum power density in minimum installation space. Peak torque 114 – 8,162 Nm, outer diameter 230 – 734 mm; usable as a direct-drive rotary table or for swivel axes, with efficient cooling and near maintenance-free operation.
SRV
SRV — The Precise One
The Precise One · Ultra-Precision Internal-Rotor
Slotted permanent-magnet internal-rotor direct-drive motor running exceptionally smoothly with no pulsating axial / radial forces. Air-gap diameter 89 – 384 mm, up to 14,000 rpm — capable of machining top-grade surfaces free of optical defects.
RMK · RMF
RMK · RMF — The Even One
The Even One · Slotless Iron-Core
Slotless iron-core permanent-magnet AC synchronous motor with low attractive force and exceptionally even motion. Diameter 70 – 2,500 mm, torque 2 – 15,000 Nm, peripheral speed up to 15 m/s, available in flat or coaxial configurations.
Segmented Segment
Segmented — The Variable One
The Variable One · RDDM
Primary / secondary parts designed as segments rather than continuous rings, scaling torque via the number of segments and making large diameters economically viable. Segment tangential force 560 – 4500 N, peak torque up to 182,575 Nm.
UPR
UPR — The Lightweight One
The Lightweight One · Printed Circuit Board
Ironless motor with coils printed layer by layer in printed-circuit-board material — highly energy-efficient and low cost. Up to 80% higher speed, no cogging, contactless and wear-free, ideal for lightweight, low-profile, low-inertia rotary axes.
Linear Motors Linear Motors
L1
L1 — Iron-Core
Iron-Core Linear Motor
Three-phase slotted permanent-magnet excited AC synchronous linear motor optimized for ultimate efficiency. Peak force 169 – 5,171 N; L1A installation height of only 31 mm; precise positioning with no overshoot and excellent constant-velocity behavior.
Rotary Direct Drive Systems Rotary Direct Drive Systems
Z-Axis Short Stroke Actuators Z-Axis Short Stroke Actuators
LDDS-078 · LDDS-081
LDDS-078 — Voice Coil Z-Axis
Voice Coil
Compact short-stroke voice-coil actuator with 5 mm stroke, 48 N peak force and 77 g moving mass, an integrated measuring system and reliability beyond one billion cycles. Applications: test and sorting machines, indexers, medical engineering.
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