Universal AC/DC gearmotors provide a balance of the features available on AC and DC motors. They use an AC power source and are used to run appliances and tools such as vacuums, drills, and sanders. They are compact, lightweight, and provide higher starting speeds than other gearmotors. Simply put, a gear motor is any electric motor coupled with a gear train. Gear motors use either AC (Alternating Current) or DC (Direct Current) power.
Both AC and DC motors use electrical current to produce rotating magnetic fields that, in turn, generate rotational mechanical force in the armature—located on the rotor or stator—around the shaft. DC drives are self-starting. AC drives are operated by AC power supply either 1-phase or 3-phase. DC drives are operated by DC power supply such as batteries, etc. AC drives involve complicated circuit design due to presence of rectifier circuit and inverter circuit. Increased torque: A gear motor’s gear reduction mechanism increases the torque output, allowing it to power loads that require more torque than the motor alone can produce. For higher torque applications, you want to use metal gears opposed to plastic.
Many industrial gear motors are generally fixed-speed AC-powered devices, while variable-speed fixed-gear-ratio motors offer more control. DC gear motors are most commonly used in vehicle industries such as truck power cranes, windscreen wiper motors, plus power seats or power window motors. Simply put, a gear motor is an electric motor coupled with a gearbox. In most cases, the addition of a gearbox is intended to limit the speed of the motor’s shaft and increase the motor’s output torque.
