Before we talk about how to select a mini DC motor, we should first get to know the basic idea of what a miniature DC motor is. Generally, a DC motor is a motor that converts DC electrical energy into mechanical energy. The movement of the DC motor is rotary. Because of its good speed adjustment performance, it is widely used in electric drive. As for a mini DC motor, it has a small size, low power & voltage, whose diameter may be measured in millimeter.
- While considering “how to choose”, the first thing to do is to figure out why you need it. That’s to say, the first step is to know what the DC motor will be used for, a smart home device, a robot, or a fitness equipment or others.
- The second step is to analyze your applications in details to find out what power supply and motor you should select. For AC motor & DC motor, the most significant difference is the power source and speed. The speed of an AC motor is controlled by varying the current in the motor while that of a DC motor is controlled by varying the frequency, usually with a frequency converter. Therefore, AC motors run faster than DC motors.
- If your motor is required to run continuously with few gear adjustment, you can choose a an asynchronous motor.
- If precise positioning is required, a stepper motor will be suitable.
- If there is no angle adjustment requirement and it’s a dynamic application, you can select a DC motor.
The features of a micro DC motor:
- Accurate and fast movement
- Speed can be varied by changing supply voltage.
- It can be installed easily, even in battery powered system.
- High starting torque.
- Starting, stopping, accelerating and reversing are finished in no time.
Mini DC motors are suitable for dynamic applications requiring high accuracy particularly in terms of speed, like elevators, or in terms of position, like robots or machine tools.
- If you make your mind that you need a miniature DC Motor, here are the specifications that you need to know before purchase.
- Output torque
- Output speed
- Maximum voltage and current (Mini motor DC 12V is a common type ZHAOWEI offers.)
- Size or diameter requirement (ZHAOWEI provides micro DC motors whose OD ranges from 3.4-38mm.)
- Weight
- When you are clear about the parameters you need, the next step is to determine whether you need extra components. If you need to reduce the speed and increase torque of the DC motor, a micro gearbox will be a help. You can find some tips in How to Select A Micro Gear Motor. If you want to have command of the speed and direction of the miniature DC motor, a motor driver will be needed. In addition, encoders are sensors that identify the speed and angle of rotation, even position of the shaft. They can be applied on a robot joint, mobile robot, conveyor system.
The speed of the mini DC motor can be adjusted. The torque is large and the volume is small with relatively low noise. It has a wide range of applications. Miniature DC motor can be used in precision medical equipment, smart robot transmission, 5G communication equipment, smart logistics, smart cities, smart medical, smart cars, printing machine tools, flame cutting, laser cutting, CNC machine tools, tool machinery, food packaging, automation industries , aviation equipment, semiconductor equipment, medical equipment, robots, manipulators, communication equipment, pharmaceutical equipment, printing equipment, packaging machinery, textile machinery, CNC machine tools, CNC pipe benders, parking equipment, measuring equipment, machine tools, precision monitoring systems , vehicle industry, automatic control system and other fields.
