If your business operates in part because of electric motors, then you have a Scottish monk to thank! Andrew Gordon was born to an aristocratic family in Cofforach, Forfarshire in Scotland. He traveled to Regensburg to attend the Benedictine Scottish Seminar, where he completed their five-year general studies program. With that background, he was able to travel to Austria, France and Italy before entering the monastery, where he studied scholastic philosophy. After entering the priesthood, he completed studies in law and theology at the Benedictine University of Salzburg, and he became a pr
Energy Efficiency and Your Electric Motor Repair Efficiency: focusing on getting the maximum output with the minimal amount of resources possible We’ve all done it – settled for less than optimal efficiency, that is. Whether it’s at home or at work, we’ve gotten used to sub-par performances of appliances and machinery: “Oh, THAT piece of equipment? It always takes a while to warm up. And then you have to watch it closely . . . when it starts making that funny humming noise, well, just turn it off and then wait a bit before turning it back on . . .” When this happens with you
Energy Efficient Motors Driving the Growth of Electric Motor Demand Globally, the market for electric motors is estimated to reach $129 billion by 2020, when industrial and automotive vehicles are considered together. Why such a huge demand? People need energy efficient electric motors; although more expensive at purchase, their long term benefits outweigh the initial cost – both in the environmental benefits and the cost savings. A few years ago, the U.S. Department of Energy estimated that industry could reduce energy used by motors by 11 to 18% if currently-existing cost-effective tec
Electric Motor Repair: Increasingly Complex Over the years, industrial motors have become more powerful and versatile, with diverse uses and applications, so it isn’t surprising that it takes more specialized skills to repair or refurbish them. All started out much more simply, though, and here’s a quick look back in time over the evolution of the electric motor. Before such a motor could become a reality, various discoveries and inventions needed to be made. These included: In vention of the battery by Alessandro Volta in 1800 Generation of a magnetic field from an electric c
Evolution of the Electric Motor We recently blogged about early electrical motors from the 1830s . These were exciting innovations, but not what led to today’s versions. The DC motor actually evolved from the development of dynamometers (power generators). Early developments included: 1832: William Ritchie and Hippolyte Pixii invented the commutator. 1856: Werner von Siemens invented the Double-T-anchor. 1872: Friedrich von Hefner-Alteneck invented the drum armature. Siemens’ invention is the first to place winding into slots, and previous designs that did not contain this feat
Most Exciting Time for Industrial Electric Motors According to an article found in Electronics360.GlobalSpec.com, “Right now is arguably the most exciting time in the nearly 200-year history of industrial motors.” Here’s why: Tech advancements continue to push the motor’s efficiency limits Research and development is coming up with impressive results, globally, to push the limits even further Here’s why this is so important: electric motors use about 50% of the electricity consumed around the world each year and their use is “ingrained into many aspects of our everyday li
Cutting Edge Electric Motor Technology Electric motors use magnets to turn electrical energy into mechanical energy, although not all use the same types of magnets. A small percentage of them use rare earth material (REM) magnets; these are highly effective with “incredibly strong magnetic fields at small sizes,” which means that smaller, more efficient electric motors can be manufactured. Electron Energy Corp. has partnered with researchers at the University of Delaware to create a process that increases electric resistivity by 30 percent or more. Motors made with these magnets woul
Efficient Electric Motor Operation Saves You Money Electric motors power much of the modern economy and that’s unlikely to change. In fact, global revenue for motor drives was approximately $11.2 billion in 2011, which was a 15.9 percent increase of 2010’s figures of nearly $9.7 billion. The figure predicted for 2016? $16.3 billion! Because of this widespread usage, the systems powered by electric motors are the largest single use of electricity, twice as much as lighting. So, it’s only natural that governments of industrial countries are investing in research and development to in