Brushless motors sweep up (maybe)

For years, manufacturers of brushless DC motors have promoted the advantages of their products, but growth has been less than many anticipated.

By Control Engineering Staff May 28, 2008

Wellingborough, UK — For years, manufacturers of brushlessacement have been less than many anticipated.The benefits claimed for brushlessapproximately double that of brushed products, an increasing number of suppliers have begun introducing brushless products as part of their portfolio.Certain industries, such as medical and industrial automation, have readily accepted the higher cost in exchange for the performance benefits. In many other applications, however, the higher prices remain prohibitive. This is most evident in cost sensitive markets, such as domestic appliances and power tools, as well as the largest market for small motors — automotive. Although some applications currently use brushless products, the majority of these sectors remain untapped.Despite, there is potential for a cascade effect that could result in more applications switching to brushless products. Specifically, if a particular application that consumes large volumes of brushed — Alex West , research director, power transmission & low voltage products group, IMS Research Edited by C.G. Masi , senior editor, Control Engineering Machine Control eNewsletter Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free .