Motor Design Engineer

ABOUT Agnikul Cosmos is a company incubated at IIT Madras and we build rockets that can take satellites up to 500 kg to Lower Earth Orbit (LEO). In May 2024, we successfully completed our maiden launch from our own launchpad (India's first private launchpad). The launch has proven all the new technologies developed by Agnikul and also earned recognition from Honourable Prime Minister of India. RESPONSIBILITIES Motor Design & Architecture – Design and develop high-power, high-voltage BLDC/PMSM motors for propulsion and actuation applications, defining architecture based on voltage, power, torque, speed, efficiency, duty cycle, mass, cooling and environmental requirements. Motor Sizing & Trade-offs – Perform motor sizing and design trade-offs for torque density, power density, efficiency, thermal performance, mechanical integrity and operating-speed requirements. Electromagnetic Design – Perform electromagnetic design and analysis covering back EMF, torque, torque ripple, cogging torque, losses, efficiency, flux density, demagnetization margin and short-circuit behaviour using ANSYS Maxwell, Motor-CAD, JMAG, Flux or equivalent. Motor Mechanical Design – Design rotor, shaft, stator housing, end shields, bearings, retaining systems, cooling jackets and mounting components, considering structural integrity, manufacturability, assembly and inspection requirements. Rotor Dynamics & High-Speed Design – Perform rotor dynamic analysis including critical speeds, shaft deflection, bearing loads, balancing, stability, rotor integrity, overspeed margins and magnet retention for high-speed operation. Materials & Manufacturing – Select and evaluate electrical steels, permanent magnets, copper conductors, structural materials, insulation, adhesives and retaining materials based on strength, temperature, magnetic properties, density and environmental requirements; support suppliers and manufacturing teams. Thermal Design – Analyse copper, iron, magnet and mechanical losses; develop air/liquid cooling concepts, cooling jackets and thermal paths; determine component temperature limits and validate thermal models against experimental results. High-Voltage Insulation – Develop motor insulation systems covering phase-to-phase, phase-to-ground, slot, turn-to-turn and terminal insulation, including creepage, clearance, dielectric strength and PWM/high dV/dt considerations. Motor Dynamics & Vibration – Analyse vibration, resonance, balancing and frequency-domain behaviour across the operating speed range; correlate rotor-dynamics/FEA predictions with experimental results and investigate abnormal vibration or noise. Testing & Qualification – Develop and execute motor-level testing covering no-load/load performance, efficiency mapping, torque-speed, temperature rise, continuous/peak power, high-speed, overspeed, vibration, shock, thermal cycling and HV insulation testing. Data Analysis & Failure Investigation – Analyse test data against simulations and design predictions, identify failure modes, perform root-cause analysis and support qualification reports and technical documentation. System Integration – Work with motor-drive/inverter, battery, cooling and propulsion teams to define electrical, mechanical, thermal and control interfaces and support closed-loop, transient, fault, system-level and field/vehicle testing. Requirements 3–4 years of hands-on experience in electric motor design, development or testing. Strong understanding of PMSM/BLDC motor fundamentals. Experience with high-speed or high-power motor development is preferred. Strong knowledge of electromagnetic, mechanical and thermal aspects of motor design. Experience with motor simulation/FEA tools such as ANSYS Maxwell, Motor-CAD, JMAG, ANSYS Mechanical, or equivalent. Good understanding of rotor dynamics and high-speed rotating machinery. Experience with shaft, bearing, rotor and housing design. Good knowledge of engineering materials and material selection. Understanding of electrical insulation systems for high-voltage motors. Experience with motor testing, instrumentation and data analysis. Ability to perform engineering calculations independently and correlate simulations with experimental results. Willingness to work extended hours as required.