People might get confused when talking about small gear motors since there are so many types of gear motors. When it comes to a small gear motor, we need to have some basic ideas about it. The micro gear motor is a combination of a micro gearbox (reducer) and an electric motor. With this gear reducer system, the gear motor can be used for low-speed and high torque applications. According to the motor adopted, the gear motor can be categorized into small brushless DC motor, small brushed DC motor, micro stepper gear motor and servo gear motor, etc. How to differentiate these micro gear motors becomes a big problem. This passage will make a contrast on the similar gear motors and explained them in detail.
These types will be divided into 2 sets: small brushed DC gear motor VS small brushless DC gear motor, small stepper gear motor VS small servo gear motor.
Small Brushed DC Gear Motor VS Small Brushless DC Gear Motor
The main difference between a small brushed DC gear motor and a small brushless DC gear motor lies in the motor: one is the brushed DC motor and the other is the brushless DC motor. About the definition and working principle, Brushless VS Brushed Motor: What’s the Difference can be referred to. This passage will focus on prominent differences.
1.Scope of Application
Brushless DC Gear Motor: usually used for equipment with relatively high control requirements and relatively high speed, such as aircraft models, precision instruments, etc., which have higher requirements for motor speed and high-speed control.
Small DC motor brushes: usually used for power equipment, such as hairdryers, household range hoods, etc. In addition, the speed of the brushed DC motor can reach very high. However, due to the wear of the carbon brushes, the service life of brushed motors is not as long as brushless motors.
2. Service Life
Small brushless DC motor: the service life is about tens of thousands of hours, but it may differ due to different bearings adopted.
Small DC motor brushes: Generally, the continuous working life of a brushed motor is about 1,000 hours. When the use limit is reached, the carbon brush needs to be replaced, otherwise, it is easy to cause bearing wear.
3.Use effect
Small brushless DC motor: Digital frequency conversion control technology is generally adopted, enabling strong controllability. The speed can vary from a few revolutions per minute to tens of thousands of revolutions per minute.
Small DC motor brushes: The old carbon brushed motor generally works at a constant speed after starting, and the speed adjustment is not easy. The brushed DC motor can also reach 20,000 rpm, but the service life will be relatively short.
4. Energy Saving
Relatively speaking, the brushless motor controlled by inverter technology will save much more energy than the brushed DC motor.
5. Maintenance
The carbon brush needs to be replaced after long-time use. The brushed motor will be damaged if not replaced in time. While the brushless motor has a relatively long service life, usually more than 10 times that of the brushed motor. A brushless DC motor doesn’t need daily maintenance. If it is broken, the motor needs to be replaced.
Small Stepper Gear Motor VS Small Servo Gear Motor
1. Control Method
The control method of the stepper gear motor and the servo gear motor is different. For a micro metal geared stepper motor, the rotating angle is determined by the pulse number. Each pulse corresponds to a step angle. However, there is no feedback signal, which results in the accurate rotating position of the motor unknown and the position accuracy not high enough.
The servo gear motor controls the rotating angle by the number of pulses as well. What differentiates them is the feedback signal. Each time the servo motor rotates at a certain angle, the corresponding number of pulses will be sent. At the same time, the drive will receive the feedback signal and compare it with the pulse received by the servo motor, so that the system will analyze the difference in the pulse number. The rotation of the motor can be controlled very accurately, so as to achieve precise positioning, which can reach 0.001mm.
2. Overload Capacity
Stepper motors generally do not have overload capacity while an AC servo motor has a strong overload capacity. Take the Pilz servo system as an example, it has speed overload and torque overload capabilities. Its maximum torque is 3 times the rated torque, which can be used to overcome the instant inertial load at the starting moment.
3. Responding Time
The response speed performance is different. It takes 200 ~ 400ms for a micro metal geared stepper motor to accelerate from a standstill situation to the working speed (generally several hundred revolutions per minute). The acceleration performance of the AC servo system is better. Take the Pilz AC servo motor as an example, it takes a few minutes to accelerates from a standstill situation to its rated speed of 3000 r/min. It can be used for applications where fast start/stop and high position accuracy is required.
With the detailed contrast on the general small gear motors, it won’t be difficult for you to select the suitable gear motor for your specific application. ZHAOWEI provides various brushed DC motors, BLDC gear motors, servo gear motors, stepper gear motors of different specifications. And the parameters, such as diameter, voltage, speed, reduction ratio can be customized.
