For years, manufacturers of brushless DC motors have promoted the advantages of their products, with growth in the market strongly influenced by the replacement of other motor technologies. Although clearly viewed as a premium product, levels of replacement have been steady but lower than many anticipated.
The benefits of brushless DC motors are well publicised, and include high levels of performance, reduced maintenance, quieter operation and longer lifetime. The main driver of growth in the market for these products, which globally was estimated at approximately $490million in 2007, is through replacement of products in the much larger ($6.7billion) brushed DC motor market. With growth rates for brushless DC motors forecast at approximately double that of brushed products, an increasing number of suppliers have begun introducing brushless products as part of their portfolio.
Certain industries, such as industrial automation and medical, have readily accepted the higher cost in exchange for the performance benefits; however, in many other applications the higher prices remain prohibitive. This is most evident in cost-competitive markets such as domestic appliances and power tools, and also for the largest sector for small motors - automotive. Although some applications currently use brushless products, the majority of these sectors remain untapped.
In spite of this, there is the potential for a cascade effect that could result in more applications switching to brushless products. Specifically, if a particular application consuming large volumes of brushed DC motors switched to brushless DC motors, this would result in the potential to reduce production costs through economies of scale. As companies were able to produce these products at lower costs this would in turn create opportunities in a broader range of markets.
