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Manufacturing Technology Insights | Thursday, June 01, 2023
A new generation of technology is poised to increase the performance, longevity, and efficiency of the induction motor despite its simplicity of design.
FREMONT, CA: It is easier to picture a modern factory with electric motors because they are adaptable and reliable. In manufacturing facilities, motors are used in everything from drive gears on machinery to the conveyor belts that transport components across the floor to the blower fans in HVAC systems. Electric motors are a top candidate for efficiency investment because they consume 60 percent of industrial electricity in America, according to Dependable Plant Magazine.
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According to the Copper Development Association, a typical industrial electric motor can consume seven to nine times as much electricity annually as it costs to buy it. This means the payback period for high-efficiency motor purchases may be very quick. Even for facilities replacing older motors that are still fully functioning, the CDA estimates that premium efficiency motors offer an average payback period of two to three years.
Nothing has changed in the fundamental technology of electric motors during the past 150 years. Despite the induction motor's straightforward architecture, new technological advancements are poised to increase its effectiveness, durability, and performance. The stakes for creating more potent, effective motors that can propel automobiles farther and quicker between charges have increased with the emergence of the electric vehicle market. Several technological innovations revolutionizing the auto sector are now finding their way into industrial uses.
Despite significant differences, there is still a lot of overlap between fixed industrial motors and vehicle electric motors. For instance, whereas alternating current induction motors, which are more durable and affordable, are frequently employed in industry, practically all car motors are brushless direct current or permanent magnet synchronous motors. The direct current motors for electric automobiles may be the first to leverage advancements in rotor windings and heat dissipation. Still, similar discoveries will soon be applied to alternating current designs.
The following improvements in electric motors may have an impact on manufacturing:
Die-Cast Copper Rotors
A "squirrel cage"-style rotor, commonly used in induction motors, comprises thin, conductive metal bars that may create an electromagnetic field, which drives the motor. This "squirrel cage" is built of aluminum bars in older motors; while less conductive than copper, they are much easier to work with.
According to the Department of Energy, aluminum was favored for older electric motors because its low melting point of 660 degrees Celsius made it appropriate for die casting throughout the production process. The increased conductivity of copper suggested a more potent rotor, but the conventional die-casting processes couldn't handle its high melting temperature of 1083 C.
Continuous magnet drives
A strong rare-earth magnet or ceramic magnet is housed inside the rotor of a permanent magnet motor, unlike induction motors, which do not produce a magnetic field until an alternating current is given to the motor's windings. As a result, the motor can spin at different speeds, and a stronger magnetic field can be produced in a smaller housing.
Windings for square wire
An induction motor's rotor is where the electric current circulates. The magnetic field can be made stronger by passing more wire through the rotor, but this requires that the wires be wound tightly to maintain the magnetic field focused and accessible to the stator, which spins and drives the motor shaft. More torque should be produced in a smaller area with tighter, more compact rotor windings, and a rotor with fewer soldering spots should last longer and be less expensive to produce.
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