Properly mounting your ORCA motor is essential to its stability and function in your design solution. Since ORCA motors are capable of high speeds, vigorous motion, and high-frequency vibration, ensuring that they are attached securely to a stable surface is necessary. In this tutorial, we will cover some of the basics of mounting an ORCA motor to a fixed surface, as well as some general best practices. 

Follow Along with Written Instructions

The chassis of an ORCA motor is designed not only for optimal thermal performance and a small footprint, but also for intuitive mounting options. On the bottom of the motor’s chassis, there is a built-in T-slot mount with 1-inch spacing.

On both ends of the chassis, there are four M8 threads that will accommodate standard pneumatic attachments. Learn more about ORCA motors as a drop-in replacement for pneumatic cylinders. 

On both ends of the shaft, there are threaded holes available in both metric and imperial thread sizes. However, if you opt to mount the motor by the shaft instead of the chassis, the chassis will become the free-floating component instead of the shaft, which may lead to different function within a design solution.

In many use cases, an ORCA motor will be integrated into an existing mechanical system. However, for initial setup or low-impact testing of an ORCA-6, the motor can be mounted to the side of a desk or work surface using a 3D printed shoe mount. 

Depending on the use case, the motor can be mounted vertically or horizontally. For motors with a larger footprint, such as the ORCA-15-48V, we recommend using multiple connection points to the T-slot mount.

If high speeds or high-frequency vibrations are expected, we recommend using metal or plastic washers to isolate the motor surface from the mounting surface.

For more information on mounting or fastening your ORCA motor, refer to the ORCA Motor Reference Manual, available on the downloads page of our website.

Mounting Objects to the Shaft of your ORCA Motor

ORCA motors’ fully integrated design greatly simplifies installation and setup, unlike other actuators that typically require additional components to get moving. The magnetic stainless steel shaft has been designed to excel in a variety of mounting applications. Explore this Iris Tutorial on mounting objects to the end of the shaft based on the needs of your application. LEARN MORE.