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Air bearing extends motor life

A Sanyo DC Micro Motor Division product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Feb 7, 2006

Ceramic air bearing lets micro motor run at high speed with low noise at elevated temperatures.

Sanyo DC Micro Motor Division has developed a micro motor with a ceramic air bearing design.

The PM Series brushless motor is for applications requiring high speed and quiet operation at high temperatures.

The ceramic air bearing design, using air as a lubricant, solves the problems encountered with typical motors lubricated with oil, which tend to break down over the life of the motor or at high temperatures.

The series is available in a 20mm size with a 14mm size to come.

The first application was a rear projection television colour wheel because it must run at high speeds and high temperatures but be very quiet.

Also being targeted are medical applications requiring high reliability and for which an out-gassing oil bearing might cause an unacceptable level of contamination.

The sleeve and shaft of the ceramic air bearings contain a 3 to 5um gap between them.

At the top of the shaft, magnets repel each other and, once the motor starts spinning, static air pressure is created in the gap.

This allows the motor to operate without contact between the sleeve and the shaft.

The motor will operate as long as the bearing is in good condition.

"It would last as long as it would take the air to wear out the ceramic," said Shane Snipe, Manager and Mechanical Engineer for Sanyo.

The motor has been tested at over one million starts and stops.

Standard operating voltage is 12V DC.

Load current is about 70mA.

Typical speed is 10,000rev/min.

Operating temperature range is 0 to +90C and storage temperature range is -20 to +90C.

The motor measures 20mm diameter in the sleeve, with an 8.4mm high, 25mm diameter rotor and a total height of 25mm.

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