<p>Thrust ripple in permanent magnet linear synchronous motors (PMLSM) deteriorates control accuracy and induces unwanted vibration and acoustic noise. From a design standpoint, it primarily results from detent force under no-load conditions. To mitigate these effects, a three-stage design procedure for PMLSMs is proposed in this study. First, auxiliary teeth notching is applied to modify both the end force and the cogging force, thereby reducing the second and fourth harmonic components of the thrust. Second, middle teeth notching is introduced to further reduce the second harmonic component of the thrust by altering the cogging force characteristics, leading to an overall reduction of the second order detent force. Third, the skew angle is selected based on the skew factor to additionally reduce the fourth and eighth harmonic components of the thrust.</p>