12 Advantages and Disadvantages of Linear Motors | Applications

In this article, I am describing the advantages and disadvantages of linear motors.

Firstly, we will study the basic of linear motor.

What is a Linear Motor?

A linear motor is an electromagnetic device that provides mechanical motion in a straight line by converting electrical energy. Thus, this electric motor generates linear motion or translational motion.

The linear motor is widely used in high-speed trains, conveyor systems, pick-and-place machines, looms, sliding doors, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machines, and many more appliances that require linear movement.  Also, it is used for actuating better performance in industrial automation equipment. Thus, it has several commercial and industrial applications.

Now, let’s dive in crucial benefits and drawbacks of linear motors.

Advantages (Pros) of Linear Motor | Benefits

1. The linear motor provides smooth and straight motion due to supporing the linear motion guide or air bearing.
2. It provides good accuracy and performs repeatability to the applications (for example- CNC machines, semiconductor manufacturing, and metrology systems).
3. The linear motors are also available in compact and lightweight designs.
4. This motor is very beneficial for applications that require quick accelerations and decelerations.
5. The linear motor doesn’t contain any mechanical contact or converting device, unlike rotating motors.
6. As compare to the rotating motor, it gives fast response in less time.
7. It has the ability to maintain high speeds and precise positions as per the users’ requirements.
8. Low maintenance is required due to the absence of components (like as brushes or gears).

Disadvantages (Cons) of Linear Motor | Drawbacks

9. The linear motion is costly as compared to the traditional rotating motors. Because it requires specific designing and manufacturing.
10. The cooling system is needed due to the generation of heat while rapidly moving the motor.
11. The control system for linear motors can be more complex than the rotary motors.
12. It has low efficiency at low speed.

These are basic the pros and cons of linear motors. If you have any points to add or queries, you can freely drop the comment.

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Thanks for Reading!

Dipali Chaudhari

I have completed master in Electrical Power System. I work and write technical tutorials on the PLC, MATLAB programming, and Electrical on DipsLab.com portal.

Sharing my knowledge on this blog makes me happy.  And sometimes I delve in Python programming.