Top 6 Industry Applications of Brushless Motors

You know that brushless motors are a great way to keep drones airborne. But where else can brushless motors be used? From underwater mapping for marine applications to PAP respirators for medical uses, here are some of the most popular uses for brushless motors today.

Aerospace and Defense

Today’s big aerospace players like NASA; brushless motors even qualified as the prime movers for the Apollo spacecraft’s life support blowers. Brushless motors have also been used to circulate oxygen in the Lunar Portable Life Support System. Brushless motors are better able to survive extreme environmental conditions than their brushed counterparts to meet critical mission performance requirements. Thanks to their maintenance-free operation, brushless DC motors are ideal for space exploration, flights, satellites, and beyond.

Manufacturing and Industrial

Brushless motors can help performance-driven businesses build or improve next-generation machines. Since brushless motors can last for approximately ten years without upkeep, they can be especially useful for motor control, actuation systems, and positioning for manufacturing fields. Thanks to their durability, brushless motors are currently used across the country for an array of industrial and manufacturing uses, including power generation, wind energy, vacuums, plastics, and steel production.

Marine

Although oceanographers started using undersea drones a few years back, they were large, expensive, and relied on highly skilled operators. Today, you can purchase consumer models for roughly the same price as aerial drones. These drones capable of underwater operation also help advance marine research and underwater mapping so we can explore depths divers can’t safely reach. Brushless motors with an IP rating of 66 or higher can safely operate underwater, enabling them to power boats, jet skis, diver propulsion vehicles and even automatic fish feeders and tank cleaners.

Medical

Brushless motors are seeing a significant rise in the medical industry in 2018. In environments where sparking could be dangerous or negatively affect electronically sensitive medical equipment. Since brushless motors don’t have the commutator and brushes found in BLDC motors, brushless motors don’t create a “whirring” noise and are much quieter. Since these motors can offer up to a 10,000-hour lifespan and whisper-silent operation, brushless motors allow medical specialists to focus on their procedures rather than their tools. They’re especially helpful for sleep apnea equipment, which needs to meet low noise level standards, and dental drills, where motors need to be as small as a fingernail.

Robotics

Eliminating a motor’s brushes does much more than reducing noise. It also allows motors to handle more peak current and spin faster, which results in greater overall speed. This enables brushless motors to do the same job as a brushed motor with increased speed and a longer lifespan at half the weight. Their decreased risk of sparking combined with their speed makes them ideal for today’s era of automation, helping both scientists and hobbyists can build better machines for the future. Brushless motors today are used for rovers, prosthetic limbs, service robots, and even BattleBots.

Transportation

Many electrical and hybrid vehicles rely on brushless motors to run smoothly. Electric bicycles, Segways, and more are choosing to go brushless. Many build the motors into the wheel hub itself with the stator fixed to the axle and the magnets attached to, and rotating with, the wheel. Likewise, many electrically-powered RC models use brushless motors for enhanced efficiency and high torque to weight ratio. Many of 2018’s scooters, hoverboards, and boats are powered by brushless motors.

KDE Direct is excited to expand into these industries in 2018 in addition to continuing to develop our brushless motors for drone and custom applications. Our motors are designed to provide market-leading performance and thousands of hours of maintenance-free usage. KDE Direct has implemented ISO 9001 certification for all production facilities around the world. All of our products are CE (European Conformity), RoHS (The Restriction of Hazardous Substances),  and WEEE (The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive) compliant for commercial and industrial applications.