What Are Industrial Motors Used For?

An industrial motor traditionally ranges between 5 to 12,000 horsepower and frame sizes from 140 and larger. These electric motors are used in a variety of markets and industries. On the most basic level, electric motors turn electrical energy into physical motion in order to do something. Industrial motors create the power to run conveyors, pumps, air moving systems, and many other needs in the toughest industries.

Definite Purpose Motors vs. General Purpose Motors

Definite Purpose motors get their name from the defined or specific applications they serve and are built according to specific NEMA standards. General Purpose motors provide off-the-shelf motor solutions including totally enclosed fan cooled, totally enclosed non vent, and drip-proof enclosures. They can use rolled steel, aluminum or cast-iron frames, and use single phase or three phase power.

Types of Definite Purpose Motors

Agricultural Motors

Agricultural motors can be found in applications including crop dryers, air moving systems in cattle or pig houses, and poultry farms. They will also power grain elevators, hay hoists, feeders, and barn cleaners

Washdown Motors

Washdown motors are often used in areas such as food processing, dairy, beverage or bottling, or other sanitary, high moisture environments. They are constructed from stainless steel in order to be sprayed down and withstand these harsh conditions.

Pump Motors

Pump motors can be found in a variety of applications including irrigation, fire pump, wastewater, jet pump motors, close-couple JM and JP pump, irrigation, carbonator pump, circulation pump, and turbomachinery operations.

Aggregate Motors

Aggregate motors are built for the rugged and harsh environments of aggregate and quarry operations. They can also be used in crusher processing plants using pulverizers, impactors or roller crushers. Typically, aggregate motors are meant for handling high torque loads and using 4140 shat steel for belted loads. Totally enclosed cast iron construction of these motors protect against moisture, dust, and other contaminants, thus prolonging life and reducing unnecessary downtime.

Elevator Motors

Elevator duty motors are used in commercial elevators in buildings or apartments. They can cover a range of applications including elevator hoist, elevator pump, and elevator duty. Elevator motors require constant torque loads to move and transport material, people, and products.

Brake Motors

Brake motors are used when an application requires quickly stopping and holding a load. Common applications include conveyors, packaging equipment, cranes, hoists, machine tools and other industrial machinery.

Severe Duty Motors

Severe Duty Motors may be required when operating in a harsh or severe duty environment, including Class I Division 2 hazardous locations. Such environments include chemical plants, pulp and paper mills, refineries, mines, food processing, foundries, and other severe duty environments where long life and ultra-high efficiency are desired.

IEEE 841 Severe Duty Motors, which include an IP56 rated enclosure, are the most robust severe duty motor. They are also CSA Certified for Class I Division 2 hazardous locations and are used for extreme applications in the process industries such as chemical plants, pulp and paper mills, refineries, above-ground mines, food processing, foundries, and other severe duty environments where corrosion protection for long motor life and ultra-high efficiency are required. The IEEE 841 is the most robust severe duty motor that is not a Division I hazardous location.

Explosion Proof Motors

Explosion Proof Motors are required for Division I hazardous locations involving gases, liquids, or vapors including Class I Group D, Class I Groups C & D. Typical applications include petroleum and chemical plants or pipelines, gasoline pumps, and natural gas compressors.

Smoke Evacuation Motors

Smoke Evacuation Motors provide a one-use life duty. In the event of a catastrophic event, this motor turns onto pull fumes and smoke out of the area. A smoke evacuation motor will survive the event and do its job and will then need to be replaced as it has seen extreme temperatures in the event.

Industrial electric motors are often combined with other components, such as variable frequency drives, gearboxes to slow down and increase needed torque, and power transmission components such as belts and chains to transfer the output of the motor to various pieces of equipment. With these components, industrial electric motors help essential applications keep critical systems up and running.