A permanent magnet linear motor. The permanent magnet linear motor including a primary comprising a magnetically permeable core having a first face surface on a first side of the core a plurality of teeth forming a plurality of slots on the first side, and a plurality of multi-phase windings wound to have segments thereof in the slots forming a plurality of magnetic poles at each of the first face surfaces; a permanent magnet pair of opposing polarity configured to produce magnetic flux and cause the primary to exert a force on the secondary when the plurality of multiphase windings are excited by a multiphase source; and a passive ferromagnetic secondary adjacent to but spaced from the first face surface, the passive ferromagnetic secondary being moveable with respect to the primary.