Coreless DC motors are an amazing modern technology that allows us to do incredible things in our modern world. If you ever wondered, for example, how the vibration functions in your phone or in your console controller work, you’re about to find out.
Those are only two applications, though. So how are coreless DC motors used? Keep reading to find out where and why coreless DC electric motors get used.
What Is a Coreless DC Motor?
One of the smallest commercial coreless DC motors is 1mm in diameter by 2mm in length. To put that in perspective, the headphone jack is 3.5mm in diameter.
The way a coreless DC motor works means that they generally don’t get very large. They’re very efficient, but also very expensive. This 12v small coreless motor list is a good example of the typical size you can find in these wonderful devices.
That said, they can even get up to 75mm. Part of this is because of the way they’re constructed.
A coreless DC motor doesn’t have an iron core but instead has an internal structure with Samarium-cobalt, AlNiCo, or another neodymium magnet stator. Around which a rotor winding “basket” is woven and sealed in a type of epoxy for strength.
Because they can get made in a brushless or brushed configuration, they are very efficient and small in size.
Where Coreless DC Motors Get Applied
Their high power density, high efficiency, no cogging, no torque lag, low noise, high-speed, high peak torque, and quick response-time qualities make them ideal in many applications.
Also, because they have low EMI (electromagnetic interference) qualities, they get used in medical applications liberally. This coreless motor design is perfect for lab equipment, prosthetics, small pumps, and X-ray machines.
Robot designers are more and more often also taking advantage of the many advantages of coreless motors. The biggest issue that gums up the works is price and availability.
Rare earth is, well… rare. Considering the only source for rare earth for many years as China, that also complicates things. As manufacturers steer further and further away from Chinese-built and Chinese-sourced rare earth-like neodymium, prices continue to rise.
Cobalt is another material that is not sustainably mined or otherwise obtained. Tesla, for example, has pioneered cobalt-less battery solutions to counter this problem. We may see a new revolution in coreless motor design as well.
Any application that requires low-maintenance long-life motors has coreless DC motors as an option.
The Coreless DC Motor Future
When it comes to products that need high power and efficiency in a small package, a coreless DC motor is the go-to package you need. That is unless it needs to be bigger than 3″ in diameter. You might not be able to use it in every application, but almost every industry benefits from using this innovative motor technology.
Did this article help you realize a new design path for your product design? Keep browsing our articles today to find out more product tips and advice to use!
