Electric Servo Motors (March 2006 Product Research)

Research was undertaken to gain a better understanding of Control Engineering subscribers’ applications and needs regarding electric servo motors.

By Control Engineering Staff March 7, 2006

Research was undertaken to gain a better understanding of Control Engineering subscribers’ applications and needs regarding electric servo motors.

Executive Summary

  • Among those specifying, recommending, and/or buying electric servo motors, 76% do so for inplant requirements and 48% buy for OEM requirements.

  • Materials handling equipment is the primary application for electric servo motors among those surveyed. On average, 52% of respondents’ electric servo motor applications are new applications.

  • Ninety percent of respondents preferred brushless electric servo motors over brush dc types.

  • The most preferred purchase method is to match the motor and controller together.

  • Seventy-nine percent of respondents currently use electric servo motors with power/size ratings of up to 1kW. Results suggest that it will continue to be the most common power/size rating one year from now.

  • Seventy-one percent of the participants require electric servo motor speed capabilities of 3,000 rpm or less.

  • Pricing, standard sizes, and type of mounting emerged as the key functional selection criteria for our respondents. Software for setup/tuning and high output torque are the key performance selection criteria for respondents.

  • Thirty percent of respondents currently use linear servo motors, and 27% plan to use them in the next year.

  • Over half of respondents have their servo motors in a networked arrangement. Among this segment, DeviceNet is currently the most popular communication network, with 57% using it. Results suggest that Ethernet will become the most popular, since 73% of respondents plan to use it in the next 12 months.

  • Fifty percent of the qualified respondents either currently use, or plan to use in the next 12 months, servo motors that have the controls, drive, and feedback all packaged into the motor housing.

  • Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley was the most widely used servo motor supplier in the past 12 months.

  • Forty-five servo motors was the average number each respondent purchased in the past 12 months. This equated to average servo motor spending of $140,642 per respondent. Thirtyone percent of respondents will increase their servo motor purchases in the next 12 months, and 59% will remain the same.

Electric Servo Motors Research