Fractional horsepower motor
Encyclopedia
A fractional horsepower
motor (FHP) is an electric motor
with a rated output power of 746 Watt
s or less. There is no defined minimum output, however, it is generally accepted that a motor with a frame size of less than 35mm square can be referred to as a 'micro-motor'.
Fractional horsepower electric motors are exempt from the US Energy Policy Act of 2005
and the new EN 60034-30:2009 http://www.cemep.org/index.php?id=53 ruling of European directive 2005/32/EC http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/eco_design/directive_2005_32.pdf concerning the efficiency classes of low-voltage three-phase asynchronous motors.
motors however would not have taken place without the push toward urban, and later rural, electrification, using alternating current. Electrification began in cities around 1915 and with electrification so too came the potential market for washing machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and a host of other commercial appliances. This was recognised by major manufacturers, like Westinghouse and General Electric, who were already in the business of manufacturing large motors for industrial installations. By 1920, over 500,000 fractional horse-power motors were powering washers and other appliances in America.
After the second world war the demand for FHP motors grew, particularly throughout the consumerist boom of the 1950s and 60's. Today the European FHP market is worth an estimated $4.5 billion with some 300 million units in manufacture.
electric motor
s usually intended for high-precision or robotics applications. Usually running from a DC supply, when combined with a planetary gearbox can offer accuracies less than 8 arc-minutes (2/15ths of a degree). Due to their specialist nature however these types of motor tend to be expensive compared with standard, or general purpose, lower-precision units.
The second largest area of consumption is the field of white goods and small domestic appliances (approximately 12% of the European market). With FHP motors being used to drive pumps and compressors in refrigerators, coffee machines, washing machines etc. provide suction in vacuum cleaners and a variety of other switching and motion tasks across the ever increasing variety of domestic products. Until the recent divestment of its motors interests Electrolux was believed to be Europe's largest manufacturer of FHP motors for domestic appliance applications.
Industrial applications consume a similar number of units to that of domestic products with FHP motors being used across a variety of conveyance and process applications.
Other applications include: pumps & compressors; medical devices; portable tools; office machinery; HVAC
Electric Motors - the UK's largest manufacturer of OEM bespoke and general purpose fractional horsepower motors; owned by the Clark Group of Companies, based in Bournemouth (founded 1947)
Dumore Corporation - Wisconsin manufacturer of fractional horsepower motors and industrial tools, founded in 1913 by Hamilton and Beach
Baldor Electric - based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Baldor Electric offers AC and DC motors and controllers
Leeson Electric - Milwaukee, Wisconsin manufacturer of AC an DC motors and controllers
Allied Motion
Mamco Motors
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
motor (FHP) is an electric motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
with a rated output power of 746 Watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s or less. There is no defined minimum output, however, it is generally accepted that a motor with a frame size of less than 35mm square can be referred to as a 'micro-motor'.
Fractional horsepower electric motors are exempt from the US Energy Policy Act of 2005
Energy Policy Act of 2005
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is a bill passed by the United States Congress on July 29, 2005, and signed into law by President George W. Bush on August 8, 2005, at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico...
and the new EN 60034-30:2009 http://www.cemep.org/index.php?id=53 ruling of European directive 2005/32/EC http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/eco_design/directive_2005_32.pdf concerning the efficiency classes of low-voltage three-phase asynchronous motors.
History
The earliest commercially successful electric motors date back to the latter part of the 19th century when Nicola Tesla patented his induction motor in 1888. The development of fractional horsepowerHorsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
motors however would not have taken place without the push toward urban, and later rural, electrification, using alternating current. Electrification began in cities around 1915 and with electrification so too came the potential market for washing machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and a host of other commercial appliances. This was recognised by major manufacturers, like Westinghouse and General Electric, who were already in the business of manufacturing large motors for industrial installations. By 1920, over 500,000 fractional horse-power motors were powering washers and other appliances in America.
After the second world war the demand for FHP motors grew, particularly throughout the consumerist boom of the 1950s and 60's. Today the European FHP market is worth an estimated $4.5 billion with some 300 million units in manufacture.
Precision motors
Servo motors and stepper motors are specialist types of fractional horsepowerHorsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
electric motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
s usually intended for high-precision or robotics applications. Usually running from a DC supply, when combined with a planetary gearbox can offer accuracies less than 8 arc-minutes (2/15ths of a degree). Due to their specialist nature however these types of motor tend to be expensive compared with standard, or general purpose, lower-precision units.
Applications
Fractional horsepower motors are used across a wide range of industries and applications for a variety of motion and compression needs. The largest portion of sales can be attributed to the automotive sector however, accounting for some 35% of all FHP motor sales, driving auxiliary applications such as electric windows, wind shield wipers, powered seats and wing mirrors, central locking systems and roof and trunk openers. In Europe the majority of these applications are fulfilled by the industry's largest players: Siemens, Bosch and Valeo.The second largest area of consumption is the field of white goods and small domestic appliances (approximately 12% of the European market). With FHP motors being used to drive pumps and compressors in refrigerators, coffee machines, washing machines etc. provide suction in vacuum cleaners and a variety of other switching and motion tasks across the ever increasing variety of domestic products. Until the recent divestment of its motors interests Electrolux was believed to be Europe's largest manufacturer of FHP motors for domestic appliance applications.
Industrial applications consume a similar number of units to that of domestic products with FHP motors being used across a variety of conveyance and process applications.
Other applications include: pumps & compressors; medical devices; portable tools; office machinery; HVAC
HVAC
HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
Manufacturers
Many major international diversified engineering firms now possess a fractional horsepower manufacturing capability, such as Siemens and Bosch, and while there are many other Industrial Automation firms who also make fractional products, these are often a non-core offer. There are however a number of dedicated specialist FHP manufacturers still in existence:UK
ParvaluxParvalux
Parvalux Electric Motors Ltd is a manufacturer of fractional horsepower geared electric motors. Based in Wallisdown, Bournemouth in southern England.The company name derives from the latin "parvulus" and "lux" meaning 'little light'.-History:...
Electric Motors - the UK's largest manufacturer of OEM bespoke and general purpose fractional horsepower motors; owned by the Clark Group of Companies, based in Bournemouth (founded 1947)
Germany
Dunkermotoren - founded in 1950 Europe's biggest and most successful player in the FHP market, based in Bonndorf, owned by Triton.USA
Groschopp - Based in Sioux Center, Iowa manufacturer for energy efficient AC and DC motors, gearmotors, gearboxes, speed reducers and controllersDumore Corporation - Wisconsin manufacturer of fractional horsepower motors and industrial tools, founded in 1913 by Hamilton and Beach
Baldor Electric - based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Baldor Electric offers AC and DC motors and controllers
Leeson Electric - Milwaukee, Wisconsin manufacturer of AC an DC motors and controllers
Allied Motion
Mamco Motors