Why Are Sterilizable Motors Important?

When talking about motors, people usually have a mental image of a mechanic working on a car, covered in grease after a hard day’s work. While this image is not at all wrong, it’s not the most accurate description of the many different applications of motors today. After all, there are now sterilizable miniature motors that are used in different industries. These motors have properties that help them remain clean, even after a whole day of work.

So, what are these industries, and why is there a need for sterilizable versions of these motors? Below are a few examples.

Clean and Safe Medical Procedures

One of the most important applications of sterilizable motors is in the medical field. Tools that help surgeons cut through flesh and bone with less effort and more precision, such as orthopedic drills or saws, usually contain miniature brushless DC motors. These tools are used in a wide range of operations, from installing titanium plates for stabilizing major fractures, to outpatient procedures such as electric drills and toothbrushes used by dentists to clean patients’ teeth.

Image Source: Protescap

Since these tools are meant to be used and re-used on different patients, there’s a need to clean and sterilize them before and after each procedure. This is to help prevent the spread of infection or disease from patient to patient. Cleaning these tools also help ensure that they will last longer, especially considering that these implements are usually a significant investment on the hospital management’s part. And yes, the machines used to clean these important tools also have these motors, such as the autoclave.

Sterilized Manufacturing Processes

Another application of sterilizable motors is in manufacturing. Many electronic components—such as circuit boards and the microchips on them—can be easily damaged by dust or dirt. That’s why they’re usually made using machines inside clean rooms. This is also the reason why there’s a need to use sterilizable motors in these machines. Manufacturers need to ensure that these machines are always clean, so that the products that come out of them are not defective or damaged.

The same goes for manufacturing in another sector—the food industry. Instead of hiring an army of workers to manually pack food items, most manufacturers have now installed automated packaging machines that vacuum-pack and seal these products. Not only are these machines more efficient than human workers. They are also more hygienic, as these machines won’t be able to pass on any airborne germs or viruses that human workers may carry.

As such, to maintain a high standard of hygiene at a facility that handles food, the miniature motors in these automated packaging systems should be sterilizable. That way, mold or microbes won’t have a chance to grow in the nooks and crannies of these machines, minimizing the risk of contamination for the food items that pass through assembly lines.

These examples are the most important applications of sterilizable miniature motors. As these examples show, these machines play a vital role in ensuring that the world is a safer place, away from infection and disease.