Motors in handheld surgical tools and other medical devices can get very hot when operated at their rated torque limit. In continuous operation, motor windings can reach 155°C resulting in a housing temperature of some 120°C. No surgeon would like to operate with a hand-held tool not even at half of that temperature. Aside from friction, two main sources of power losses and therefore heating. This white paper, titled, “On the Heating of Motors in Power Tools,” explains the details and gives motor selection options to reduce heat.
Read this report to learn about:
- How an oversized motor can prevent Joule power losses, which are linked to current
- Precautions to prevent iron/eddy-current losses in high-RPM devices such as drills and grinders
- Why a pulse-width modulated driver and related choices prevent further overheating
- How one medical firm solved a major problem with a new motor controller, and why
