---
title: Designing Smaller and Lighter Conveyors With Brushless Motors
description: With the growing popularity of efficient brushless motors, replacing AC motors with these motors brings several advantages.  In this blog post, we will uncover several advantages that can benefit lighter and compact equipment designs.
image: https://blog.orientalmotor.com/hubfs/Grip%20conveyor%20with%20BLDC%20motors.jpg
---

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Engineering Notes

## Engineering Notes by Oriental Motor

# [Designing Smaller and Lighter Conveyors With Brushless Motors](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/design-smaller-and-lighter-conveyors-with-brushless-motors)

 \[fa icon="calendar"\] Originally posted on Oct 1, 2018 8:32:18 AM   
Last updated on June 25, 2026 / by [Johann Tang](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/author/johann-tang)

![Johann Tang](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/8cc777610596a2b2230de2963e906c0b)

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With the growing popularity of efficient brushless motors, replacing AC motors with these motors brings several advantages.  In this blog post, we will uncover one of the advantages that can benefit lighter and compact equipment designs. 

Brushless motors are much more power efficient than AC induction motors.  This means a smaller brushless motor can do the work of a bigger AC motor.    
![Grip conveyor with AC motors](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Grip%20conveyor%20with%20AC%20motors.jpg?width=300&name=Grip%20conveyor%20with%20AC%20motors.jpg)

 

 

 

An ideal application example is shown below with a grip conveyor that has two belts on either side, driven by two AC induction motors.  AC motors are not the most efficient option when it comes to power-to-torque conversion.  Therefore, the motors need to be bigger and heavier than they really need to be.

 

 

 

** ** CHALLENGE  **Reduce conveyor mass for easier handling & installation**

Conventional Equipment: Grip conveyor with two belts on each side driven by two AC gear motors.  An inverter (VFD) is typically used for speed control (not shown).  

**Problems with Conventional Equipment: **

- Larger AC motors are bulky and heavy to handle and install.
- An additional support frame is often necessary
- Since 2 motors are used, the motor mass makes a bigger difference

** SOLUTION  BMU Series brushless gear motor + AC input driver**

Use a compact and high power [![BMU Series brushless gear motor + AC input driver](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/2284573/6ce59757-26df-45b3-80fa-959e4d5d0fef.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/2284573/6ce59757-26df-45b3-80fa-959e4d5d0fef) to reduce the motor size and mass on the grip conveyor.  A heavier motor may require a support frame to support its weight on the machine.  This makes the conveyor heavier, more expensive, and more difficult to install.  By replacing the AC motors with more compact, efficient brushless motors, we are able to reduce the motor protrusion on the top of the conveyor as well as the mass of the motors.  

![Grip conveyor with BLDC motors](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Grip%20conveyor%20with%20BLDC%20motors.jpg?width=400&name=Grip%20conveyor%20with%20BLDC%20motors.jpg)[![BMU motor and driver](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/2284573/a816e257-31b5-492b-8c37-f9a7df180729.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/2284573/a816e257-31b5-492b-8c37-f9a7df180729)

**Advantages offered by BMU Series:**

- More efficient than AC motors
- Lighter & compact motors
- Easier installation & maintenance
- Uses same input voltage for driver
- IP66 motor+ [![quick disconnect cable](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/2284573/92c881d9-6a1d-43f3-b096-01457eb22101.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/2284573/92c881d9-6a1d-43f3-b096-01457eb22101)

|   | Oriental Motor AC Induction Motor  | BMU Series |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Output Power | 90 W (1/8 HP) | 60 W (1/12 HP) |
| Frame Size | □ 90 mm (3.54") | □ 80 mm (3.15") |
| Gear Type | Parallel Shaft | Parallel Shaft |
| Gear Ratio | 9:1 | 30:1 |
| Permissible Torque  | 4.2 N·m (37 lb-in)  | 5.2 N·m (46 lb-in)  |
| Mass | 4.7 kg (10 lbs)  | 1.4 kg (3 lbs) |

**RESULT:** The mass can be **reduced by 6.6 kg (3.3 kg per unit)**

[![Watch](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/2284573/14dae4d7-30ed-4249-8880-670076efc108.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/2284573/14dae4d7-30ed-4249-8880-670076efc108) **how easy it is to operate** a BMU Series brushless motor and driver

Because of feedback control, brushless motors also offer much better speed regulation than AC induction motors.  With recent trends in efficiency, brushless motors should be considered during the motor selection process for new designs.

 

 Topics: [AC Motors](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/topic/ac-motors), [Speed Control](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/topic/speed-control), [VIDEOS](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/topic/videos), [BLDC Motors](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/topic/bldc-motors), [Washdown](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/topic/washdown), [Application Examples](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/topic/application-examples), [Medical](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/topic/medical), [Food & Packaging](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/topic/food-packaging), [Grip Conveyors](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/topic/grip-conveyors), [Conveyors](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/topic/conveyors), [Factory Automation](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/topic/factory-automation)

![Johann Tang](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/8cc777610596a2b2230de2963e906c0b)

#### Written by [Johann Tang](https://blog.orientalmotor.com/author/johann-tang)

Johann Tang is a Product Specialist at Oriental Motor USA Corp. Before joining the marketing team, he spent 14 years in sales and technical application support, and he also led product training on various types of fractional-horsepower electric motors, gear motors, actuators, drivers, and controllers. If you have any questions, please feel free to use the live chat window, 1-800-GO-VEXTA (1-800-468-3982), or techsupport@orientalmotor.com, to reach our product support team. Sorry, comments have been turned off.

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