Competition in the high-end ice maker market is becoming increasingly intense. The ability to customize core power components has become the key for brands to stand out.

This case shares TSL’s full solution for a customized outer-rotor brushless geared motor for a high-end ice maker brand. It addresses three major pain points commonly faced by customers: insufficient torque, difficult structural adaptation, and complex brushless drive control. It provides a one-stop customized solution. It helps customers improve both product performance and commercial value.

Solemn statement: The design solution in this case has been officially approved by the customer for public release. We always fully respect our customers’ brand privacy and core technology NDAs. The motor structure and drive design are independently developed patented products of our company.

Customer Core Requirements

The customer in this cooperation is a benchmark brand in the field of high-end household refrigeration appliances. This project focused on the upgrade of its flagship ice maker product. The core goal was to innovate the key power component.

The customer wanted to build differentiated competitiveness from similar products on the market. It also wanted to set a new performance benchmark for high-end household ice makers.

Before the project started, the customer had completed the full development and finalization of the whole machine solution. Only the core power motor was still missing.

To find a fully compatible motor solution, the customer had completed a full screening of the global supply chain. It contacted high-end overseas motor manufacturers in Switzerland, Germany, the United States, and other countries. It also contacted several leading domestic micro motor companies. However, it still could not find a mature solution that matched all its requirements.

Customized services from overseas manufacturers also faced many unsolvable problems. These included high minimum order quantities, high unit costs, long delivery cycles, and slow response. As a result, the overall project once fell into stagnation.

Why Standard Ice Maker Motors Failed to Meet Customer Needs

The conflict between the customer’s core requirements and existing market solutions was mainly concentrated in the following three dimensions:

Core Performance Did Not Meet the Standard

General ice maker motors on the market usually have an inherent weakness. Their output torque is insufficient. Under extreme working conditions such as heavy-load ice crushing, high-density ice compression, and stirring, they often show weak power and large speed fluctuations.

This directly leads to low ice crushing efficiency and uneven ice breaking. In some cases, the whole machine may even jam and stop. This could not match the performance positioning of the customer’s high-end flagship product.

Neither the standard products from leading overseas manufacturers, nor the regular standard models from domestic peers and our company, could reach the heavy-load torque target required by the customer. The customized solutions from overseas manufacturers had unit costs far beyond the customer’s whole-machine cost budget. They had no commercial feasibility for mass production.

Poor Structural and Installation Compatibility

To ensure product service life, operating stability, and low noise, the customer clearly required a brushless motor solution. At the same time, the customer proposed two non-negotiable structural requirements.

First, the motor output shaft and wiring terminal had to be on the same side. Second, the motor mounting holes and external dimensions had to fit the customer’s finalized installation space at a 1:1 ratio.

However, conventional brushless geared motors on the market usually use a standard layout in which the wiring terminal and output shaft are on opposite sides. This layout could not fit the customer’s compact internal structure and wiring plan.

If a general-purpose solution was forced to be used, the customer would have to overturn the finalized whole-machine structure and reopen the mold. This would not only bring very high secondary modification costs. It would also greatly delay the product launch schedule. This was completely inconsistent with the customer’s project plan.

The Brushless Drive Threshold Was Too High

Traditional brushless DC motors must be used with special drivers. The customer’s R&D team would need to complete complex parameter debugging, program development, and adaptation verification. This created a very high technical threshold.

Additional drive accessories would also increase the whole-machine BOM cost, assembly process, and after-sales maintenance difficulty. This was completely contrary to the customer’s project expectations.

In response, the customer proposed a very clear core requirement. The brushless motor had to support extremely simple driving. It should require no professional parameter debugging. The motor should run forward and reverse stably by directly connecting the positive and negative power terminals. This core requirement almost had no mature ready-to-use solution among general brushless motor solutions on the market.

Our Full Customized Solution

To solve the customer’s core pain points and personalized needs, the TSL motor R&D team created this 157:1 high reduction ratio outer-rotor brushless geared motor for ice makers. It was fully customized in performance, structure, and drive control. It perfectly solved all the customer’s core requirements.

Customized Heavy-Load Performance

We adopted an integrated design. It combines an outer-rotor brushless motor body with a high-precision gear reducer. Through the dedicated 157:1 reduction ratio optimization, the torque was greatly improved. The rated torque of the motor can reach 70 kgf·cm. The stall torque is ≥170 kgf·cm.

Even under heavy-load conditions such as compression, crushing, and stirring of high-density ice, the motor can still maintain stable power output. The rated speed is accurately controlled at 12±10% rpm. The no-load speed is 14±10% rpm. This enables uniform ice crushing. It completely solves the industry pain points of insufficient ice crushing ability and poor crushing results in traditional motors.

At the same time, the motor uses a low-noise optimized design. It runs smoothly and quietly. It perfectly fits the use scenarios of high-end household appliances.

Dedicated Structural Optimization

To meet the customer’s core structural requirement that the wiring terminal and output shaft be on the same side, we broke the conventional brushless motor layout. We adopted an integrated customized optimization based on the outer-rotor brushless structure. The motor wiring terminal and power output shaft were placed on the same side.

This perfectly fits the customer’s internal installation space and wiring plan. The customer does not need to make secondary modifications to the whole-machine structure. This greatly reduces whole-machine modification costs and assembly difficulty.

At the same time, the whole motor uses a compact design. It achieves ultra-high torque output while meeting small-size installation needs. It fits the trend toward thinner and lighter designs in modern high-end ice makers.

Extremely Simple Integrated Drive System

To solve the customer’s pain point of complex brushless motor control, we integrated a self-developed dedicated drive module into this customized motor. The complex brushless control logic was built into the motor body. This completely broke the industry barrier that traditional brushless motors require external special drivers and complicated debugging.

The final solution achieved extremely simple operation. The motor can run by directly connecting the positive and negative power terminals. The customer does not need any parameter debugging or program development.

It also does not need to purchase additional drive accessories. The solution is fully compatible with the customer’s existing whole-machine circuit design. It greatly shortened the customer’s product development cycle. It also reduced R&D and supply chain costs.

Implementation Value and Customer Feedback

This customized outer-rotor brushless geared motor solution has completed reliability testing under all working conditions. It has also achieved batch delivery. It perfectly fits the full-scenario use requirements of the customer’s high-end ice maker. It has been highly recognized by the customer.

Performance: The motor remains stable under long-term, high-frequency, heavy-load working conditions. Its ice crushing efficiency and uniformity greatly exceeded the customer’s expectations. At the same time, the brushless structure and high-precision gearbox greatly improve the service life of the motor. They meet the long-cycle use requirements of high-end household appliances.

Cost: The integrated solution eliminates the customer’s need to purchase additional drivers and modify the structure mold. The whole-machine BOM cost and supply chain management cost are significantly reduced.

Business value: The extremely simple drive solution shortened the customer’s whole-machine R&D cycle by more than 60%. It helped the customer quickly complete product upgrades. It also helped the customer gain differentiated competitive advantages in the high-end ice maker market.

TSL Motor focuses on customized solutions for micro DC motors. It has full-process independent R&D and production capabilities.

According to the customer’s working conditions, structural limits, and performance targets, we can provide one-stop customized services. These cover requirement communication, solution design, mold opening, sample making, and batch delivery. Our services cover motor customization needs in high-end home appliances, medical equipment, industrial automation, robotics, and other fields.

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