Direct Current (DC) Motor

DC motor is the major sub-type of electric machines that produced mechanical energy into direct current. The most common types depend on magnetic field forces. Almost all types of DC motors have an internal mechanism which can be either electromechanical or electronic. This changes the flow path of the current in the DC motor periodically. By using a variable voltage or through changes current strength, the motor speed can be regulated. This follows the left-hand law of Fleming.

Stepper Motor

Stepper motor also has the same pattern to transform electrical energy into mechanical energy, but it is the DC brushless electrical motor which divides the complete rotation into several equal steps. The motor position can then be controlled to shift and hold at one of these steps without any input sensor, as long as the torque and speed of the motor are carefully measured in the application. The speed of shaft movement is proportional to the frequency of the input pulse.

Difference between Stepper Motor and DC Motor

Stepper motor

• Loop nature: The nature of the loop for a stepper motor is an open loop.
• Controlling: Stepper can be easily controlled by the aid of microprocessors and other controlling devices.
• Brushes: The Stepper motor is a brushless DC electric motor which divides a rotation into several identical steps.
• Motion and displacement: The stepper motor motion is gradual, and resolution is restricted to phase size.
• Time of response: the time response of a stepper motor is very slow.
• Overloading effect: The stepper motor can be slipped off the control when overloaded, and the error cannot be easily detected.
• Types: The three major types of stepper motors include permanent magnet stepper, hybrid synchronous stepper and variable reluctance stepper motor.

Application

Stepper motors have a variety of uses, but some of the most common are:

• Semiconductor Manufacturing and in packaging industries
• 3D printing equipment
• Textile machines and integrated circuit fabrications
• Printing presses and in Bar code printing
• Gaming machines
• Medical imaging machinery
• Small robotics
• CNC milling machines
• Welding equipment
• Used in tape drives, floppy disc drives printers and electric watches.

Direct Current (DC) motor

• Loop nature: The nature of loop for direct current (DC) motor is a closed loop.
• Controlling: In contrast to a stepper motor, the control of the DC motor is not much as easy as compared to stepper motors.
• Brushes: The Stepper motor is a brushless motor; however, the direct-current motor includes brushes that cause wear and tear difficulties and sparks.
• Motion and displacement: The DC motor has a continuous displacement, and can be precisely controlled and positioned.
• Time of response: The DC motor feedback control provides a much faster response time compared to the stepper motor.
• Overloading effect: Relays and overload protectors are motorised and protect the motor from any damage during overload.
• Types: DC motor types include shunt-wound motor, series-wound motor, cumulative compound motor and differential compound motor. 

 Application

• DC motor is almost found everywhere, such as in:
• Spacecraft applications (used in a solar aeroplane, electric aircraft, and propulsion systems)
• Printers
• Fuel pumps
• Electric vehicles
• Textile industry
• Robotics industry
• Cement Plants