Choosing A Motor: Where Do I Start?

When you are looking to start up any kind of manufacturing for your business, one of the things you will need to decide on is the machinery and equipment which works best for your application. Although many people think this is a complicated part of your business processes, it is actually more straightforward than you may think. So let’s get into it and take a look at the different types of motors you could choose to use in your business.
DC Motors

The first type of motor we are going to talk about is direct current motors. They contain two different wires: power and ground, and when you supply power to this motor you will see the motor spinning. They typically run at a high RPM and you will often see them in cooling fans for computers.
A direct current motor is controlled by a pulse width modulation, which dictates how fast the motor will turn. The way this works is by rapidly turning the power on and off, which is known as a pulse, and these pulses are so powerful that the motor appears to be constantly spinning.

Servo Motors

The next type of motor you can have is a servo motor. Industrial servo motors usually contain gearing unit, dc motor, potentiometer and a control circuit. Servo motors run in a closed loop, and because of this they are generally used for applications which require precision and accuracy. For example, this type of motor is used within robotic arms and boat rudders to make sure that each movement is precise.
Pulse width modulation is also used within servo motors, but more as a control signal than for speed. The pulse value which is used in a servo motor keeps the shaft central to make sure that each movement is precise.
Stepper Motors

A stepper motor is a more cost effective version of the servo motor, and commonly used in the medical industry due to its low running costs. Stepper motors are called such due to the fact that they use multiple electromagnets arranged around a central gear, and each movement of an electromagnet is known as a step.
Due to the fact that stepper motors use multiple electromagnets, it requires a central circuit to control the movement and energise each one. This allows you to change the movement from one electromagnet to the next and this will give you a full 360 rotation of the motor.
There are two different types of stepper motors which are available to buy. The first one of these is unipolar. Unipolar motors are able to step without having to reverse the direction of current, and this makes the electronics within the motor much simpler. They have a low torque than the next type we are going to talk about.
Bipolar stepper motors are the next type you can buy. They are the strongest type of motor and will have 4/8 leads. The stepping in this type of motor is achieved by two sets of electromagnetic coils which change current direction. The electronics are a little more complicated for these however they offer a higher torque.
The main advantage of a stepper motor over the other types is that they are able to hold a constant torque level without the motor even needing to be turned on.
Now that we have general run down of what each motor is and how it works, we need to decide where each one is best used and which will suit your application the best. The motor which you will choose for your specific application will depend on a range of different factors: from the torque, speed, inertia, industry and everything else you need for your process. Here are the general applications you will find fit each different type of motor:
DC Motors

Because these motors are the fastest and they continuously rotate, they are ideal for the wheels of cars, fans and anything which needs to move rapidly.
Servo Motors

The most accurate of the motors, servo motors are great for working in small spaces and are very fast. Because of this they are great for applications which require precise movement like robot arms, rudders and others.
Stepper Motors

Stepper motors are easy to control, slower than the others and more cost effective to use. Because of this they are great to be used if you have medical equipment, security systems and anything which needs to be positioned in a controlled and accurate manner.