Copper Motors

Copper Motors

Depending on the details of the motor design, copper rotors can offer a mixture of the following additional benefits: Less heat generated, and so less need for fan cooling, with attendant savings in energy and noise. Less heat generated, and so longer motor lifetime. Copper is a great choice for motor windings because of its high conductivity and relatively low cost, but it is also a highly dense and heavy material; this is even more of a problem for motors used in electric vehicles or aircraft, which need to be lightweight.

The copper content varies among different types of motors, while small motors have a higher percentage of copper per weight than heavy motors. On average, fractional electric motors are 9-10 percent copper by weight. AC motors average 7-9 percent copper; DC motors have 15-18 percent copper content. Voice coils are based on a copper coil energized by an electric current and placed inside a magnetic field usually provided by permanent magnets. The force generated by the coil is proportional to the magnetic field and the direction and magnitude of the electric current.