Permanent Magnet DC Motors Design Criteria and Operation Advantages

Permanent magnet dc motors have found many successful applications in industry. In particular, the machine tool industry utilizes the major share of all the permanent magnet motors produced. These motors typically exhibit greater stability of operation, linearity, higher maximum speeds, straightforward design, and higher efficiency. The applications to which these motors are addressed, however, impose fairly sophisticated design choices to maintain high performance along with optimization of unit design. In trying to optimize motor design without loss of performance, the selection of magnet material has the greatest impact upon eventual motor performance, size, and cost. The criteria for selection of permanent magnet material are reviewed, and the major advantages to using this type of motor in comparison with a wound field dc motor are specified.