What Is a Motor Pulley?
A pulley is frequently used in machinery and equipment, automobiles, and other power sources. In the case of a motor pulley in particular, it refers to an integrated roller drive structure that incorporates a motor for driving and a reduction gear for adjusting the motor’s rotation speed inside the pulley.
The roller covering the motor rotates and serves not only as the driving unit of the conveyor belt for transport but also as a safe, silent, and space-saving power source because the drive unit is built in a sealed structure.
Uses of Motor Pulleys
Motor pulleys typically serve as power sources for rotating belts within conveyor systems. They are installed in various locations, with roller types like rubber rollers and magnetic ring rollers being chosen based on the conveyor belt’s requirements. Being a motor, it doesn’t require maintenance such as lubrication.
Motor pulleys in the broad sense of the term also include automatic transmission shifting applications such as CVTs for automobiles. In this case, a mechanism is used in which the position of the belt on the pulley changes in accordance with the acceleration torque and rotation speed for pulleys of different diameters.
Principle of Motor Pulleys
Motor pulleys are powered by a motor, typically operating at a constant speed. To adjust the speed of the belt conveyor, an inverter is employed.
Roller conveyors are machines that convey objects by utilizing the rotation of rollers instead of belts. However, the outer diameters of rollers used for such applications are often relatively small. On the other hand, motors with a large outer diameter and rotational torque are often used for belt conveyors.
Pulleys utilizing V-belts or roller chains are also frequently seen. In this case, the rotation speed can be changed by changing the ratio of the outer diameter of the V-pulley to the belt position. Of course, an inverter can also be used in combination.
In the case of motor-integrated pulleys, the advantage is that the motor fits precisely into the core of the pulley and drives the roller directly through the internal gears without generating any loss, resulting in a very high transmission efficiency to the rotational torque. To improve performance, about 30% of oil is sealed inside the motor pulleys, and some motors also serve to lubricate and cool the bearings.