Types Of Electric Motors

Motors can almost be seen anywhere, especially in electrical equipment. Electric motors operate by converting electrical energy to mechanical energy for motion to take place. 

Through the interaction between a magnetic field and direct current, force is generated within the motor. While the strength of current increases, the strength of the magnetic field also increases. 

Electric motors are now a lot more diverse and flexible than ever before. It is worthy to note that when designing a motion control system, the type of motor used is highly crucial. 

The motor needs to align with the purpose and general performance expectation of the system. 

It is of extreme importance to purchase your motor from a reliable and reputable motors manufacturer, this will guarantee the durability and effectiveness of the motors. This article will discuss some types of motors.

1.DC brushed motors

These are easily the simplest motors that can be found in several appliances, automobiles and toys. They work with contact brushes that connect with a commutator to change current direction, this is why the commutator is especially important in the design of dc brush motors. 

They can be used for electronic propulsion, paper machines, cranes, steel rolling mills etc. Also, their production is largely on the cheap side and they are not difficult to control.  

2.Vibrating motors 

These motors are majorly used in appliances that require vibration such as game controllers and cell phones. 

The electric motor generates them, they have an unbalanced mass placed on the drive shaft and this is what causes the vibration. They can be used in non-electronic buzzers that are majorly for appliances like alarms and door bells.

3.Stepper motors

These motors use an internal rotor which is worked by external magnets. They are to be used more when precise positioning is desired. 

They are mostly found in appliances such as process control systems, printers and machine tools, they are made for high-holding torque that provides users the ability to propel from a step to another.

The controller system which they possess, designates the point through signal pulses delivered to a driver which decodes them and sends proportional voltage to the motor. 

They are of different types; permanent magnet stepper, variable reluctance stepper, hybrid synchronous stepper. 

Also, they are not complex to make and control but they constantly draw high current. 

4.Servo motors

These motors are quite popular on the market and are mostly used to control position without precision. 

They are majorly found in appliances such as remote controls, RC toy vehicles and robotics, in fact they are known as the bane of robotics. 

They comprise of a motor, potentiometer and a control circuit, they are majorly controlled by pulse width modulation (PWM), through sending electrical pulses to the control wire.

5.Linear motors 

These motors comprise of an unrolled stator and motor, creating linear force along the length of the device. 

They possess a flat active section which has two ends. They are known to be fast and highly accurate. 

6.Direct drive 

These motors are either rotary or linear, with direct drive motors, the load is connected to the motor directly, outside of mechanical transmission elements like pulley systems, gearboxes or belt. 

Basically, the motor directly drives the load. There are different kinds of direct drive motors such as rotary direct drive motors, linear direct drive motors etc. 

Conclusion

There are still other types of motors, but these few mentioned will give you a background into the world of motors and will be useful if you have a project coming up. 

Also, your motors manufacturer plays a great role in the quality of the motors and this is why you should only patronise a reputable motors manufacturer.