Electric Motors

About Electric Motors and Electric Motor Manufacturers Including: AC Motors, Brushless Motors, DC Motors, Servo Motors & Stepper Motors.

Electric motors supply the speed and torque in a drive system. Electric motors change electric energy into movement using magnetism with most using only one type of current. This is not true for universal motors, which operate using either alternating current or direct current. Using the combination of electric energy and magnetic current means no fuel is needed to run the motor, as found with many engines. Electric motors are used in many applications and many industries instead of fuel engines because they are cleaner and less expensive to run. Electric motors are also a good alternative to fuel engines in many cases because they release no exhaust or emission, which solves a health hazard.
 
The telecommunications, food, medical and manufacturing industries all use electric motors for various purposes. Electric motor manufacturers produce electric motors for fans, clocks, power locks and windows, electric can openers and electric toys. Automobiles are an example of a machine that utilizes several electric motors for proper function. The starter motor gets the gas engine moving. Electric motors are used to move the wiper blades and windows as well.
 
Electric motor manufacturers use enclosure, rotor, axle, coil and field magnet as the main components for electric motors. Not all electric motors contain brushes, which help conduct current. When electric motors are brushless, an external power supply is used to get the current transferred. Because of their lack of brushes, brushless electric motors are actually more expensive. They tend to last longer due to lack of sparking issues commonly associated with the existence of brushes.
 
The two main types of electric motors are AC and DC. While these are very wide categories, the basic difference between the two is the direction the current flows through the engine itself. They both use magnets to create the motion necessary for power generation. The magnets react with the current, which flows through specific points of the motor and causes rotation. This rotational movement is the source of power which is transferred into the equipment in need of the power. Examples of specific AC and DC motor types are servo, induction and gear motors. The size range and power capacity can differ tremendously depending on what specific types of electric motors are used.
 
Since the uses for electric motors grow everyday, electric motor manufacturers create a wide variety of choices and types of electric motors. Weight, size, power source, torque and cost are all variables that are unique to the type of electric motor desired. In many cases custom electric motors can be designed to specification. When selecting electric motors, take into consideration the size of the space where the electric motors will have to fit, the requirements for power input and motion output, the desired speed of the motion to be produced, the type of current to be used and the overall cost limits. Most manufacturers of electric motors have a wide range of capabilities to meet your needs.

Types of Electric Motors

• AC motors or alternating current motors generate their magnetic field by an electromagnet powered by the same AC voltage as the motor coil. It is dispersed in single or three-phase forms with the ability for direction changes of its current cycles.
  
• Brushed motors have built mechanical brushes that automatically commutate coils on the rotor as the motor rotates. Brush-type motors are more cost effective than brushless.
  
• Brushless motors allow commutation of the coils on the stator by using an outside power drive without brushes.
  
• DC motors or direct current motors have adjustable speed and torque applications. In a DC electric motor, there would be adjustable speed and torque along with a rotor and a permanent magnetic field stator.
  
• Electric motors are motors that convert electric energy into motion using magnetism. Electric motors contrast engines because engines use fuel and electric motors do not.
  
• Gear motors consist of a gear head and motor.  Together they can reduce the speed of the motor to the preferred RPM's.
  
• Induction motors use electric current to generate rotation in the coils instead of delivering the rotation directly. They acquire their torque from currents produced in loops by a changing magnetic field in the field coils.
  
• Permanent magnet motors have motor magnets embedded into the rotor assembly. This design allows them to align with the rotating magnetic field of the stator.
  
• Servo motors have shafts that do not rotate freely; the shafts move to a definite angular location. They are often used for motion control in robots, hard disc drives, etc.
  
• Stepper motors are essentially electric motors without commutators. All of the commutation handled externally by the motor controller can be stepped at audio frequencies, allowing them to spin quite quickly and be started and stopped precisely at controlled orientations.
  
• Synchronous motors can operate at a constant speed up to full load. They have a series of three windings in the stator section with a rotating area; there is no slip.