Steps To Follow To Choose The Best Motor

When it comes to choosing a new motor for your machinery, it’s important to take into consideration a number of factors, to ensure the motor you choose is the best one for your needs. By following 5 easy steps, you’ll be able to make a more informed decision on the motor you decide to choose.

Step 1: Know the Load Characteristics

For line operated motors, loads generally fall into three categories; these being constant torque, torque that changed abruptly and torque that change gradually over time. Equipment and machinery such as bulk material conveyors, extruder, displacement pumps and compressors run at relatively steady levels of torque. Once of the most important things about choosing a new motor is one whose speed torque curve exceed that of the load torque curve. Loads from fans, blowers and unloaders, can vary over time, so be sure to consider the highest possible load point when choosing a new motor for this type of equipment / machinery.

Step 2: Get A Handle on Horsepower

Horsepower is an important factor, but ensuring you choose the right horsepower for your needs is even more important. When it comes to horsepower the option to oversize and sometimes even undersize, needs to be avoided. To calculate the amount of horsepower you need, it’s important to remember horsepower = torque x speed, divided by 5250.

Step 3: Getting Started

Another consideration is inertia, this is typically during start up. Every load represent some type of inertia, but some types of equipment such as crushers and gearboxes, require high starting torques due to the huge mass of rotating elements in the machinery and equipment.

Step 4: Adjust for Duty Cycle

A duty cycle is the load that a motor must handle over the period of time when it starts, runs and stops. Duty cycle is typically broken down into continuous duty and intermittent duty. Continuous duty is the simplest and most efficient application. The cycle begins with start up, then long periods of steady operation. Intermittent duty is more complicated as it’s harder to measure the lifespan of the equipment, motor and parts. With frequent start-ups and rushes of heat when the motor begins, it can cause the motor to burn out more frequently or can reduce the amount of times it can be started up during a day.

Step 5: Motor Hypoxia

This only needs to be taken into consideration if the motor is being used at substantially above the sea, as it will be unable to stay in full operation as the air will be less dense, meaning the motor can’t cool as easily.