The direct drive motor resembles a turntable writ large and metallic.

CSIRO's direct drive motor that's inside the new washing machines.

New washing machines use CSIRO technology

Westinghouse Sensor Wash machines use direct drive technology from CSIRO.

9 October 2007 | Updated 14 October 2011

What we did
Scientists involved

CSIRO has a strong track record in developing electric drives for the following industries:

automotive
oil exploration and mining
whitegoods and appliances
heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Traditionally washing machines have used an induction motor and a gearbox. Reliant on a motor/gearbox combination these machines have been noisy, less durable and had simple wash programs.

During a five-year partnership with Westinghouse's parent company Electrolux, CSIRO developed:

a low-cost compact switched reluctance motor (direct-drive)
Direct drive means the motor is attached to the bowl and controlled electronically - there's no gearbox.
associated power and control electronics
motor control software.

What we did

Direct-drive means the motor is attached to the bowl and the washing and spin action are controlled electronically - there's no gearbox. No gearbox translates to less noise, fewer parts and improved reliability.

The absence of a gearbox also means the speed of the motor is controlled electronically so there is more flexibility in tailoring the wash cycles. A sensor determines the size of the load, selects the most efficient cycle and continuously monitors the wash to maintain consistent action.

This means the entire package is extremely water efficient and carries a AAAA rating.

CSIRO also developed a new approach to braking which has been patented (provisional).

Braking is important as safety standards require that, on lifting the lid in a spin cycle, the machine must stop in a certain amount of time. Improvements mean that the braking function is achieved with fewer parts.

Scientifically, the design process resulted in the development of a low cost position sensor, a novel method for imprinting pole patterns on magnetic sheet, some general scientific publications and a patent.