How Alva's Frameless Motors Simplify Non-Aerial Gimbal Design
Download PDFThis blog explains why non-aerial gimbal designers can choose direct drive over geared actuation, and why Alva's FiberPrinting™ frameless motors offer a bigger through-bore, cogging-free motion, and performance comparable to slotted designs.
November 12, 2026
Nicolas Giraudo
Chief Commercial Officer
As part of our video series on real-world applications for Alva's frameless motors, this one looks at non-aerial gimbals. Here is a link to watch it in full.
Let's briefly explore the key takeaways from the video.
Why Choose Direct Drive for a Non-Aerial Gimbal?
The motion system configuration for a Gimbal design can be usually divided into one of 2 choices: geared or direct drive. For aerial gimbals, weight matters a lot more. Taking weight off the table, other parameters become more relevant.
On a direct drive approach peak torque (responsiveness) is better, settling times shorter. It can be more precise as well, since there's no gearbox backlash to work around.
What a Bigger Through-Bore Means for Gimbal Design
Direct drive motors offer a larger through-hole than a comparable geared or slotted alternative, bringing design freedom to engineers.
Cables can run straight through the center of the motor instead of routing around it. The selection of the slip ring is much easier, not limited by what fits the motor as much. If the sensors need active cooling, refrigeration lines can be routed through that same bore too. That's a much cleaner gimbal design overall.
How FiberPrinting™ Motors Power Non-Aerial Gimbal Design
Non-Aerial Gimbals are one of the most common applications of SlimTorq™ motors. This fact relies on how Alva's frameless motors are built. A higher copper fill factor and non-skew windings give FiberPrinting™ motors performance comparable to slotted designs, without the cogging. SlimTorq™ are the thinnest motors on the market, which means that a bigger through-bore is offered with them.
If nothing Alva makes off the shelf fits the application, FiberPrinting™ is flexible enough as a manufacturing process that we can design something that does.
Let's Talk About Your Gimbal Design
If you're designing a non-aerial gimbal and want to see what direct drive can do for it, get in touch. We're happy to help you find the right motor for your design.
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Nicolas Giraudo, Chief Commercial Officer
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