Motors

Find additional information about our motors and their application. If you need assistance during commissioning of any of these motors try and contact our support here. If you need a quotation or general information about our motors like a thermal calculation please contact our sales or info[at]faulhaber.com.

FAQ

Can your motors be driven at something other than their nominal voltage?

Yes. In fact, if you can design your device to run the motor slower (lower than nominal voltage) this is a very good thing. Running at lower voltages (and therefore lower speeds) means less brush bounce and less brush/commutator wear for brush type motors, lower current consumption, and longer motor life. On the other hand, if size restrictions and performance requirements demand additional torque and/or speed, overdriving the motor is possible. You must, however, be willing to sacrifice product lifetime if you overdrive the motor.

How long do your motors and gearheads last?

This varies according to each application. Factors such as operating environment, duty cycle, input power, and how the motor or gear motor is coupled to the load all directly affect product life. Mechanical design factors of the overall mechanism, such as running the motor into hard stops or back-driving the gearheads, affect product lifetime. Generally speaking, brush type motors can run for several thousand hours, when run at nominal conditions. If long lifetime is one of your design criteria, you should consider using brushless motors. These motors are typically limited in their life only by ball bearing wear. If you have detailed questions on this point, it would be best to contact us and call one of our Application Engineers.

What is the maximum continuous current the motor can be exposed to?

This can be calculated from the specifications shown on the motor data sheet. Here's how:
Maximum rotor temperature - Ambient temperature = Allowable temperature rise Allowable temperature rise divided by thermal resistances (add up rotor-to-case and case-to-ambient) = Continuous power that can be dissipated in W.
Set this power = to the current squared x armature resistance. P = I x I x R , Solve for I
There are many more examples of how to determine motor calculations and formulas in our tutorials.

What's the difference between a "servo" motor and a regular motor?

The term "servo" implies that there is a feedback loop which adjusts one or more operating parameters of the motor such as velocity, position, and/or torque. Servomotors are used in closed loop systems where accuracy and repeatability are important. "Regular" motors (without feedback) are run "open loop" where positional accuracy is not an important factor. Learn more about feedback systems and their advantages, here.

Can you run FAULHABER motors and gear-motors on batteries?

Yes. The patented coreless FAULHABER coil - the basis for all modern coreless motors - is designed so that there is no moving iron in the rotor. Only the copper coil turns (around a stationary magnet system). This makes the rotor very low in inertia and able to run at very low current levels, which is optimal for battery operation.

Can you assemble a motor I want with a specific gearhead I want? What about adding cables and terminations?

Yes. We have a Class 100,000 capable clean room that is used for motor and gearhead assembly, cable making, custom circuit board assembly, special soldering operations, and other value-added processes. If you have a special requirement, please contact us.

What factors affect motor noise?

Generally speaking, our motors are designed to be inherently quiet. This is done through material selection, proprietary design techniques, and controlling assembly processes. However, in your application you have additional factors to consider, such as how the motor is mounted in your device, the speed and load at which you operate the motor, and what type of bearing system you use. We can give you some suggestions on how to minimize noise, but ultimately you should test any motor product in your device before you finalize your selection. If you have more specific questions, please contact us.

I notice there are two shaft ends on this motor. Can I get only one?

In most cases, yes. You can select almost all of our motors (both brush, brushless, and stepping) with either a single output shaft or a thru- (double) shaft. Submit a contact form if you want specific information on pricing and product availability.

Can I get feedback devices and other components put on our motor?

Yes, FAULHABER products are designed to accommodate a large variety of supplemental devices. Some of these are spur, planetary or right angle gearboxes, power-off brakes, optical or magnetic encoders. Submit a contact form or call your FAULHABER applications engineer for more detailed information or to review your design.

Can you send me a speed-torque curve for one of your motors?

Yes. We can do that. Please submit a contact form to make the request.

Application Notes

Product

Version

Tutorials

Selection of FAULHABER Stepper Motors portfolio

Stepper Motor Tutorial - Implementation of Redundancy in a Miniature Stepper Motor

Some of the recent research activities in the area of electric motor drives for critical applications (such as aerospace and nuclear power plants) are focused on looking at various fault tolerant motor and drive topologies.

Stepper Motor Tutorial - Microstepping Myths and Realities

The lure of Microstepping a two-phase stepper motor is compelling. Visions of Microstepping a 1,8-degree hybrid stepper motor with 256 microsteps per full step flash in your mind.

Stepper Motor Tutorial - How to prevent step losses with Stepper Motors

The use of stepper motors is an excellent choice. However, a key concern is step losses. Step losses can be prevented or corrected in most instances.

Selection of FAULHABER DC-Micromotors portfolio

DC Motor Tutorial - Motor Calculations for Coreless Brush DC Motors

When selecting a Coreless Brush DC Motor for an application, or when developing a powered prototype, there are several basic motor physics principles which must be considered to produce a safe, well-functioning, sufficiently-powered precision drive system.

How-to-videos

FAULHABER Drive Time: How to setup a Drive System with the FAULHABER Motion Manager (3)

In this new FAULHABER Drive Time video, our expert Dr. Andreas Wagener shows you how to commission your Drive System with the FAULHABER Motion Manager.

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FAULHABER Drive Time: How to connect FAULHABER Motors to Drive Electronics (2)

In this new FAULHABER Drive Time video, our expert Dr. Andreas Wagener shows you how to connect FAULHABER Motors to the Drive Electronics.

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FAULHABER Drive Time: Overview of Drive Electronics (1)

In this new FAULHABER Drive Time video, our expert Dr. Andreas Wagener gives you an overview about Drive Electronics.

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FAULHABER Drive Time: How to handle FAULHABER products ESD conform

In this new FAULHABER Drive Time video, our expert Marco Härle explains how to unpack FAULHABER products and handle them in an ESD-compliant manner.

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Webinars

Stepper Motors - Selection and optimization

English

This webinar will provide you the key information to help you properly select the most appropriate FAULHABER stepper motor for your application. You will learn how to use the material provided in the ...

Best use of Stepper Motors

English

In this webinar, you will learn more about the Faulhaber stepper motor technology, and when to use it. Due to their open-loop control orientation, these motors are dedicated to positioning ...

Best use of Brushless Motors

English

In this webinar, our expert will show you everything you need to know about Brushless motor technologies, and how best to use them in your applications. You will see the differences between DC and ...

Best use of Brushless Motors

German

Drive systems for space applications

English

In this webinar, our expert will drive you through our experiences in space applications, starting with an overview about space economy and the importance of commercial off the shelf products in this ...

DC Motors best practice

English

In this webinar, our expert will show you everything you need to know about DC motor technologies, enabling you to better understand the differences of our individual motor series and their best use ...

DC Motors best practice

German

Noise Emission with small Drive Systems

English

In this webinar, our expert will tell you everything there is to know about vibrations and noise in a drive system, what causes it and how these issues can be addressed. Starting with the basics of ...

Designing drives with the FAULHABER Drive Selection Tool

German

Are you unfamiliar with our products but have specific requirements in terms of operating mode and load parameters, such as the speed and torque? Our versatile FAULHABER Drive Selection Tool allows ...

Designing drives with the FAULHABER Drive Selection Tool

German

Drive System Technology Selection

German

In less than 45 minutes, our webinar will get you set to select the right system for your application, based on your specific requirements and desired product characteristics. Our expert will make ...

Drive System Technology Selection

German

The linear motors LM series and their applications

German

Around linear motors there is always curiosity. Because of their smooth and precise linear positioning, low power consumption and better control in comparison of linear pneumatic systems.

The linear motors LM series and their applications

English

Around linear motors there is always curiosity. Because of their smooth and precise linear positioning, low power consumption and better control in comparison of linear pneumatic systems. With this ...

Brushless DC-Servomotors BX4, Maximum precision during rotary motion

Application

Optics

Brushless DC-Motors

LightRevolution – Turning the tables in photography

„Making the ordinary extraordinary”. The motto of British photographer Patrick Llewelyn-Davies puts it in a nutshell. In his photographs, he casts daily objects under a new light, giving them a very special aura. His secret is the innovative exposure technique that he uses to create a bridge from…