Control motors are essentially electrical motors that give accurate control over speed and position. Currently, industries where control motors have their presence include industrial automation, medical equipment, and home appliances. The total global control motor market in 2023 will be US$15 billion, of which about 35% share will be contributed by servo motors. The motors provide accuracy of 0.01 mm with more than 90% efficiency.
Definition
According to the analysis data of the global market in 2024, the scale of the market of the motors reached 15 billion dollars, accounting for 35% in the total market of motors. Among them, servo motors and stepper motors have the largest shares in the motor market, up 5.2% and 4.8%, respectively, annually.
On average, every CNC machine tool needs 4 to 6 servo motors. The accuracy of the servo motor generally reaches 0.01 millimeters, and the working efficiency is more than 90%. It is reported that about 80% of the newly added CNC machine tools in the world in recent years have adopted control motor technology.
Above 90% of electric curtains sold in the Chinese market within 2023 will use small stepper motors priced between 300 to 800 yuan. Their power normally falls between 5 and 15 watts with noise less than 40 decibels. Their life expectancy can be more than 50,000 hours, which is equal to 45 years of use if they are used for 3 hours daily.
High-power servo motors and permanent magnet synchronous motors range from 50 to 500 kW and are being applied to high-speed train brakes and traction systems. For example, the maximum running speed of a China Fuxing high-speed train reaches 350 km/h and the efficiency is over 85% in the traction system.
More than 200 servo motors have been applied in the Boeing 787 aircraft to the flight control system. The latter has to operate at high altitudes in low -50°C temperature or in motor areas at temperatures over 200°C. The dependability rate is 99.999% in high-performance applications while the price of a motor is usually in excess of 10,000 dollars.
Surgical robots use servo motors whose operation precision reaches 0.001 millimeters. For example, over 50,000 surgical robots are added yearly all over the world, more than 90% dependent on advanced control motor systems.
Within this range of 1-10 MW power, permanent magnet synchronous motors in the wind turbine rotor system find wide application with efficiency as high as 95%. It has been shown that over 70% of newly installed capacity adopted the high-efficiency control motor technology in 2023.
Every robotic warehouse of Amazon has a robot with 4 servo motors to get the navigation perfect and handle the goods efficiently. They are capable of sorting out more than 400 orders per hour at 2 meters per second. A growth of 20% has been recorded in the global automated warehouse market in the year 2023.
The unmanned precision agriculture sprayer uses a stepper motor along with a DC motor. The flow errors are less than 1%, with a coverage of 50 acres per hour. The precision agriculture equipment market has reportedly grown by an annual growth rate of 15% over the last five years in China.
The failure rate of intelligent servo motors has been reduced by 30%, while the energy efficiency ratio has risen to over 4.5. In addition, control motors have been cheaper each year with technological advances. The average annual drop in global prices is 2%-3%.
Types of Control Motors
According to the market research data, in 2023, the global servo motor market size reached about $6.7 billion, and 60% of it was applied in industrial automation. The precision of a servo motor is usually up to 0.01 millimeter.
Statistics have shown that in 2024, the market size for a stepper motor will attain a value of $2.8 billion, growing annually by about 4%. A normal stepper motor contains 200 stepping angles, each angle being 1.8 degrees.
The statistics of industrial results reflect that about 70% of DC motors are dominated in small household appliances. A standard DC motor serves within a power range from several to several hundred watts; running lives range commonly between 5,000 and 10,000 hours with a noise level lower than 50 decibels.
Statistics show that the global market size of permanent magnet synchronous motors reached US$12 billion in 2023. For example, Tesla Model 3 uses a permanent magnet synchronous motor for the drive system with efficiency up to 96% at power output up to 250 kW.
Statistics showed that this market has already achieved more than 30 billion dollars worldwide and occupies 45% in the whole control motor market. The power of asynchronous motors differs from several hundred watts up to several hundred kilowatts.
The average efficiency of the brushless DC motor is at 85%, while the average life is more than 20,000 hours, while for traditional DC motors, the average life is only up to 5,000 hours. The market size of the brushless DC motor is expected to cross over $2 billion by 2024.
Core components, such as torque motors applied to satellite attitude control and high-precision telescope adjustments in the aerospace field, possess a torque range of several Newton-meters up to several thousand Newton-meters. The reliability requirements are very high, up to 99.99%.
Data indicates that, in industrial automation, the application of servo stepper motors has increased year by year. In 2023, the market share increased by 15%. The price generally ranges from US$300 to US$1,000.
It also means that more than 90% efficiency, data shows, comes from switched reluctance motors, and their life is extended to over 50,000 hours. The market size reached a value of around USD 1.5 billion in 2023, and an annual growth rate for the next five years is approximately around 7%.
Working Principles
Data shows that the control precision of servo motors is generally up to ±0.01 millimeters. A standard stepper motor moves 1.8 degrees per step, while subdivision drive technology can further improve the precision below 0.1 degrees. Data shows that stepper motors have taken up to 70% of the market share in 3D printing and textile machinery.
DC motors use the magnetic field created by DC current to move their rotors. According to industrial statistics, the average efficiency of DC motors is 75%-85%; the lifespan also ranges between 5,000 and 10,000 hours.
The brushless DC motors make use of electronic commutators to replace mechanical brushes in controlling the direction of current. It has also been recorded that most brushless DC motors boast efficiencies above 85% with life cycles of over 20,000 hours operating time. For example, the Tesla Model 3 uses very efficient brushless DC motors in its power system, up to a maximum output of 250 kW.
The principle of operation of asynchronous motors is based on electromagnetic induction between the rotor and stator. Data shows that asynchronous motors have a share of 50% in the market, and their power is from some hundred watts up to several hundred kilowatts.
Permanent magnet synchronous motors work on the principle of interaction between permanent magnets fixed on the rotor and the electromagnetic field of the stator. Permanent magnet synchronous motors have demonstrated efficiencies of over 96% according to data. On these wind turbines, the power rating of the rotor system ranges between 1 MW to 10 MW.
Motion in switched reluctance motors is developed by controlling the change in magnetic reluctance between the stator and rotor. From the information, one would follow that typically these motors would yield an efficiency above 90% with over 50,000 hours of service life.
Torque motors directly output torque and do not require gearboxes. According to data, the torque range of torque motors is from several Newton-meters up to several thousand Newton-meters and has a reliability rate as high as 99.99%.
Servo Stepper Motors The position errors of servo stepper motors are real-time corrected based on the feedback. According to data, in the last five years, this market demand increased by 30%.
Common Application Areas
In the statistics of 2023, it was shown that over 85% of the world’s industrial automation equipment was based on control motor technology. In automobile manufacturing, at least over 100 servo motors have to be used to complete a welding robot production line; the power range is from 50 watts to 5 kW to ensure the precision of each welding point within 0.01 millimeters.
In the flight control system of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, over 200 servo motors are mounted to actuate major components of aircraft such as flaps, rudders, and landing gear. Those motors should function at an extremely low temperature as low as -50°C or as high as 300°C around the engines. According to statistics, the growth rate in demand for control motors is 8% per year in the aerospace field. It has 20% market share of control motors in the global medical device market, at a market value of approximately $3 billion per year.
In most wind turbine rotor systems, there is a permanent magnet synchronous motor installed; power ranging from 1 MW to 10 MW. In the new installations made during the year 2023, data depicted more than 70% usage of wind power capacity installed with the control motor technology.
The Fuxing high-speed train traction system of China has an efficiency of over 85%, and the core control motor is required to achieve 500 kW in power, aimed at meeting such a power requirement for running a train at a velocity of 350 km/h. Data shows that the global market for control motors in rail transportation grows 10% annually.
The general sizes of small-sized stepper motors and DC motors are 5 to 50 watts. The control motor technologies were integrated into over 90% of smart devices launched in the Chinese market; its market size was valued at a total of US$10 billion by 2023.
Unmanned spraying machines and automatic irrigation machines use more stepper motors and DC motors, with the error of spraying range and flow below 1%. The data shows that in 2023, the market scale of China’s precision agriculture equipment reached $5 billion.
The Kiva robots, in Amazon, can process 400 orders per hour with motors of an efficiency of 90%. Technology related to control motors accounts for more than 30% of the automated global warehousing market, which is growing annually by 15% YoY.
These motors come in a few watts of rating to tens of watts with lifetimes of over 20,000 hours. The global consumer electronics control motor market is estimated at about $5 billion by 2024 with a growth rate of about 7% per annum as per available data.
Precise movement of joints of an industrial robot requires up to 6-10 servo motors. According to data in 2023, the global market value for control motor technologies reached $15 billion with 40% shares in the robotics market.
Advantages
The control precision of servo motors can generally reach ±0.01 millimeters. It is estimated that 65% of the high-precision equipment in the world used servo motors in 2023, saving enterprises more than $20 billion in labor costs and waste loss every year.
Permanent magnet synchronous motors have generally above 90% energy efficiency, while some high-end ones can reach over 96%. Statistics show that a wind turbine with a permanent magnet synchronous motor can generate 15% more electricity annually, which is equivalent to an additional 5,000 kWh in capacity.
The average life of a brushless DC motor is estimated at 20,000 hours, while that of a conventional motor is approximately 5,000 to 10,000 hours. According to data from the Global Industrial Sector 2023, equipment with brushless DC motors increased their average maintenance intervals by up to 25%, which in turn reduced yearly maintenance costs by about $200 per unit.
DC stepper motors normally have noise levels below 40 decibels. It is learned from the market research that more than 90% of smart home devices in 2023 are equipped with low-noise control motors.
In general, the response time for a servo motor in robot joint control usually takes less than 20ms. It could be observed in 80% of global industrial robots in the year 2023 that used the servo motors whose fast response character further improved the production effectiveness in the manufacturing sector by 10% every year.
The asynchronous motor energy-saving optimization technology saves 15%-20% in energy consumption. According to the International Energy Agency, in 2023, some energy-saving technologies on control motors will reduce about 120 million tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to the annual emission of 30 million cars.
It was revealed from available data that in 2024, the market for an intelligent control motor would reach $5 billion US dollars. Statistics show that in 2023, more than 90% of the automation equipment used in warehouses for logistics will rely on support from a multi-functional control motor.
A general small-sized brushless DC motor with weight not more than 200 grams can output over 500 watts, hence allowing flight time increase in a drone by up to 20%.
Maintenance Tips
Data shows that in industry, equipment standstills due to poor maintenance of motors consume 15% to 20% of all production time and reach up to thousands of dollars in loss per hour. A full 80% of motor failures are the result of dust and dirt accumulation. The general recommendation is for cleaning after every 1,000 running hours.
Data shows that about 30% of motor failures are due to insufficient lubrication or poor quality of lubrication. For motors with ball bearings, addition of lubricant is recommended every 2,000 hours.
According to statistics, it is caused by electrical failure due to 40% motor damage. It is recommended that every month, the connecting condition of wires and the state of insulation in motors should be clearly checked to make sure the voltage and current are stable in a rated range. Generally speaking, servo motors can bear the standard work voltage within 220V-380V, over this voltage, will cause overheating or even the motor damaged.
Data indicates that bearing wear accounts for more than 50% of motor failures. It is very necessary to conduct periodic monitoring on the temperature and vibration status of the bearings, ensuring that the temperature is below 60°C and vibration values are less than 5 mm/s.
Servo motors are very accurate in executing up to 0.01 millimeters and even smaller dimensions. It is suggested that one should hire professional calibration services once annually to ensure that the motor is at its best condition at all times.
For every additional 10°C of operating temperature, the service life of the motor is reduced by half. Temperature monitoring devices should be fitted on motors to provide real-time monitoring of the operating temperature. If the operating temperature exceeds 80°C, the load should be reduced or heat dissipation conditions improved.
Data shows that 25% of motor damage is due to overload operation. Most modern servo motors have overload alarm functions that automatically shut down the system in case of overload beyond the rated range to protect it from damage.
Moisture and corrosive gases are the main causes of aging in motor insulation and rust of components. It is necessary to check the sealing performance of the motor housing regularly.
Statistics indicate that rotating motors can extend the life of each motor by 20%-30%. In this regard, it is recommended to reasonably schedule the use of backup motors in the equipment maintenance plan.
