Summary

The truth about motor selection is that there isn’t, at least yet, a perfect motor for all applications. Motor choice may affected by a number of parameters including the mechanical characteristics of the control application, tolerance for noise, desired speed range, and cost.

To help you select the best motor for your application, the following chart summarizes what motors provide which advantages:

What motors provide which advantages

Before starting a motion control project try to determine your system’s requirements as a whole, factoring in the cost of the motor as well as the control system. Also, don't forget to factor in your own comfort level working with more complex technologies such as PID/servo control and external commutation.

Whatever motor type you choose there are numerous reputable companies providing component-level, module level, or fully integrated solutions to help you achieve success. For more information try a few motion-related web sites including: the Association of Industrial Motion Engineers (http://www.wmich.edu/engineers/AIME, and the “motion control home page” (http://www.motioncontrol.com). 

IC architecture allows mixed motor types