Allient CM and Megaflux Housed Torque Motors Review: Specs, Price and Applications
Updated: 4 days ago
Allient’s CM and housed Megaflux products are brushless direct-drive torque motors supplied as housed assemblies. They differ materially in size, voltage, torque and drive integration. The CM page describes selectable optical encoders, while housed Megaflux explicitly includes a servo drive and optical encoder. These assemblies also differ from separate frameless rotor/stator kits.
Quick Verdict
Consider CM for a compact, low-torque direct-drive axis and housed Megaflux when its larger envelope and integrated electronics fit the duty. Select the actual motor, feedback and control architecture together. A housed motor reduces some mechanical integration work but does not establish the complete mechanism’s load capacity or positioning accuracy.
Allient CM and Megaflux Housed Torque Motors at a Glance
Specification | Details |
CM frame and length | Manufacturer overview: 66.3 mm frame; 55 mm overall length |
CM aperture | Published inner diameter 12.7–19 mm; exact configuration applies |
CM electrical and torque | 24 VDC overview; 0.175 Nm rated torque |
CM feedback | Eight optical encoder versions, including incremental or absolute formats |
Housed Megaflux frame | 170 mm frame; 64 mm inner diameter; 97–138 mm length across variants |
Housed Megaflux electrical and torque | 48 VDC overview; 2.2–8.5 Nm rated torque across variants |
Housed Megaflux electronics | Integrated servo drive and optical encoder; confirm exact programmable output format |
Format boundary | Housed assemblies; not interchangeable with Megaflux frameless kits or unrelated CM gearmotors |
Procurement | Request a quote for exact motor, drive/feedback, mounting and duty |
Design and Engineering Assessment
Direct drive removes a separate reduction stage from the chosen mechanical connection. That can avoid gear backlash in that transmission path, but it also means the motor must satisfy the load’s actual torque and inertia directly. The choice should begin with the mechanism rather than a preference for a gearless label.
CM and housed Megaflux are not adjacent sizes of one identical control package. A CM selection still needs a suitably matched drive unless its ordered assembly explicitly states otherwise. The housed Megaflux description includes local drive electronics, so its power, command, thermal and service interfaces should be assessed as an integrated unit.
An encoder’s digital output and a machine’s achieved accuracy are different quantities. Incremental versus absolute feedback changes referencing and interface requirements. Mounting, runout, thermal behavior and load-side compliance still affect the working position, even when there is no gearbox between motor and mechanism.
CM Motor and Encoder Selection
Choose the actual encoder format with the drive and controller architecture. Confirm electrical compatibility, commutation requirements and the machine’s referencing behavior. The availability of several optical encoder versions does not mean that one cable or drive setup covers them all.
Establish the load torque, inertia and repeated cycle before relying on a compact motor envelope. Confirm the mounting, shaft or aperture configuration and the permitted mechanical loads using the selected drawing. A diameter entry alone is not a bearing-capacity specification.
Housed Megaflux and Integrated Drive Electronics
The larger housed Megaflux includes a servo drive and optical encoder. The manufacturer describes a 3,600 lpr encoder with programmable resolution; confirm the exact output format and settings. Do not convert that description into a claimed angular accuracy or an unsupported interpolated count.
Treat local electronics as part of the motor’s installed environment. Confirm supply, command, feedback, grounding and service access for the actual integrated assembly. The shared Megaflux name does not establish compatibility with a drive intended for a different frameless motor configuration.
Torque, Inertia and Thermal Integration
Build the load cycle from required torque, speed and acceleration. Compare one actual winding and motor configuration across that cycle. Family endpoints do not establish that the highest torque and speed occur together or remain available under every mounting condition.
The mounting structure is both a mechanical reference and part of the thermal installation. Assess representative repeated duty and warm operation. A direct-drive connection can reveal structural compliance or resonance that a different transmission architecture had masked.
Mechanical Load and Aperture Use
An open center can help route appropriate services or accommodate a driven shaft, but it does not provide a rotary electrical or fluid connection. Include any crossing services and clearance requirements in the mechanism layout.
Verify how the load is supported. Do not assign arbitrary radial, axial or overturning loads from the torque rating. Where separate bearings or a supported output mechanism are needed, include them in the comparison with a housed motor or a frameless solution.
Commissioning and Alternatives
Verify motor direction, commutation, feedback interpretation and referencing before full motion. Tune the actual loaded mechanism and assess settling, repeatability and temperature against the process requirements. Preserve the accepted parameter set and hardware identity for service.
Compare CM, housed Megaflux, a suitable frameless motor and a geared solution at the same working-point requirements. Include the drive, encoder, load bearings, mounting, thermal path and replacement work. Direct drive should solve a defined mechanical problem rather than simply replace a gearbox by name.
Applications and Selection
Direct-drive rotary mechanisms where a housed torque motor and its actual load, feedback and drive configuration match the axis.
For Allient CM and Megaflux Housed Torque Motors, define the actual machine duty before selecting an ordering configuration. Include the required operating point, available installation space, environment and control interfaces. The specification table describes the product or family; the surrounding machine determines which of those features matters for the intended job.
Price and Value
Request a quote for the exact housed assembly, encoder, electronics and mechanical options. Include the load cycle, environment, mounting and required working-point acceptance criteria.
Compare the complete installation and service scope. Housed Megaflux includes drive electronics in its stated package; do not compare that price directly with a bare CM motor or frameless kit without identifying the remaining components.
Pros and Cons
Advantages
Housed construction reduces some rotor/stator integration work
CM offers selectable optical feedback formats
Housed Megaflux combines motor, drive and optical encoder
Limitations
CM and housed Megaflux have different electrical and mechanical scopes
Direct drive still requires the actual load torque, inertia and support design
Encoder resolution is not complete axis accuracy
Who Should Consider Allient CM and Megaflux Housed Torque Motors?
Machine builders selecting a housed direct-drive motor who need to compare the compact CM construction with the larger integrated-drive Megaflux package, rather than treating all torque-motor formats as interchangeable.
Allient CM and Megaflux Housed Torque Motors FAQ
Are CM and housed Megaflux the same motor at different sizes?
No. Their size, voltage, torque and stated drive-integration scope differ. Select the complete configuration.
Does every CM include a servo drive?
The CM page describes a housed motor and encoder choices. A drive is not assumed included unless the actual supplied assembly states that.
What does housed Megaflux integrate?
Its stated package includes the torque motor, a servo drive and an optical encoder. Confirm the exact power and control interfaces.
Is a housed motor the same as a frameless kit?
No. A frameless kit supplies motor parts for integration into the mechanism, while a housed assembly has a different mechanical supply scope.
Does direct drive guarantee zero position error?
No. Feedback accuracy, mounting, runout, compliance, load and thermal behavior still affect the working position.
Can encoder resolution be read as angular accuracy?
No. Resolution describes the output granularity or format, rather than the complete measurement and installed positioning error.
Does rated torque establish bearing load capacity?
No. Verify radial, axial and moment loads separately for the exact assembly and support arrangement.
What should accompany a quotation?
Provide torque-speed duty, inertia, mounting and load support, aperture need, feedback/control architecture, environment and acceptance criteria.
Prices are indicative and may change. Confirm the final configuration, commercial terms and delivery schedule before ordering.
