Brushless DC motors are widely used in industrial applications across the world. At the most basic level, there are not only brushed or brushless motors but also DC and AC motors. Brushless DC motors, as you may imagine, do not contain brushes and use a DC.
These motors provide many specific advantages over other types of electrical motors. But, going beyond the basics, there are many questions that we will doubt, for example, what exactly is a brushless DC motor? How does it work? What’s it used for?
How a Brushless DC Motor Works
It often helps to explain how a brushed DC motor works first, as they were used for some time before brushless DC motors were available. A brushless DC motor has a permanent magnet outside its structure and a rotating armature inside. The permanent magnets, which are stationary on the outside, are called the stator. The armature, which rotates and contains an electromagnet, is called the rotor.
In a brushed DC motor, the rotor spins 180-degrees when an electric Current runs to the armature. To go any further, the poles of the electromagnet must flip. The brushes, as the rotor spins, make contact with the stator, flipping the magnetic field and allowing the rotor to rotate a full 360-degrees.
Brushless DC motor is essentially flip, eliminating the need for brush flip electromagnetic field. In brushless DC motors, the permanent magnets are on the rotor, and the electromagnets are on the stator. A computer then charges the electromagnets in the stator to rotate the rotor a full 360-degrees.
What is the purpose of the Brushless DC motor?
Brushless DC motors typically have an efficiency of 85-90%, while brushed motors are usually only 75-80% efficient. Brushes eventually wear out, sometimes causing dangerous sparking, limiting the lifespan of a brushed motor. Brushless DC motors are quiet, lighter, and have much longer lifespans. Because computers control the electrical Current, brushless DC motors can achieve much more precise motion control.
Because of all these advantages, brushless DC motors are often used in modern devices where low noise and low heat are required, especially in devices that run continuously. That may include washing machines, air conditioners, and other consumer electronics. They may even become the major source of power for service robots, which will require careful control of force for safety reasons.
Brushless DC motors provide several distinct advantages over other types of electric motors, which is why they’ve made their way into so many household items and maybe the main factor in the growth of service robots inside and outside of the industrial sector.
