Drives & Motors

Drives
Adjustable speed drives change the speed of a driven shaft to a speed selected by the operator. Additionally, these drives are used to maintain the speed of a machine to very close tolerances: ±0.1% is not uncommon. DC motor drives act as an interface between a controller and the motor. The drive must match the control signals (voltage and power levels) and signal type (analog or digital). An AC motor drive acts as an interface between a controller and the motor. The drive must match the control signals (voltage and power levels) and signal type (analog or digital).

Motors
A stepper motor drive acts as an interface between a controller and the motor. DC motors are most commonly used in variable speed and torque applications. AC motors (alternating current) is a very wide class of motors, including single / multiphase, universal, servo, induction, synchronous, and gearmotor types. Stepper motors use a magnetic field to move a rotor in small angular steps or fractions of steps. Gearmotors consist of an AC or DC motor with an integral gearbox or gear head that steps delivered speed up or down. DC servomotors are generally small and powerful for their size, and easy to control. Common types of DC servomotors include brushless or gear motor types. AC servomotors are responsive, high-acceleration motors typically constructed as permanent magnet synchronous motors.