8 Popular Application Markets for BLDC
The wide application of high-efficiency motors in automotive electronics, electric tools, smart home appliances, smart agriculture and other fields has brought substantial growth opportunities to the global motor market.The global BLDC motor market size has grown from US$16.3 billion in 2019 to US$19.7 billion in 2022, a growth rate of 10.86%. In the Chinese market, the BLDC motor market size has an average annual growth rate of 15%, exceeding the growth rate of the global market. According to data estimates, relevant experts predict that the motor market will continue to grow at an annual compound rate of 4.5% in the future. In addition, motors will develop in depth in the direction of high efficiency, miniaturization, integration, and drive integration in the future.
The following mainly discusses the eight major popular application markets for BLDC motors.
Automotive application market
With the rise of new energy vehicles, the penetration of intelligent driving, and the pilot application of the Internet of vehicles, the trend of automotive electronics is becoming more and more obvious. In future cars, in addition to drive motors, electric power steering systems, electronic suspension systems, vehicle stability control systems, cruise control systems, ABS, and body systems (windows, door locks, seats, rearview mirrors, wipers, sunroofs, etc.) will all use motors in large quantities.
Generally speaking, an economical fuel vehicle will be equipped with about 10 motors, an ordinary car will be equipped with 20 to 30 motors, a luxury car will be equipped with 60 to 70, or even hundreds of motors. And a new energy vehicle generally needs 130 to 200 motors. As people pay more and more attention to the performance of automobiles, especially the comfort, safety, fuel economy, and environmental protection of automobiles, the number of electronic control devices and electrical equipment in automobiles has increased accordingly. The use of various electric devices has led to an increase in the number of automobile motors.
5G
In 5G base stations, there are many places where motors are needed. First up is the base station antenna. At present, the control motor products with gearbox components used in 5G base station antennas include two solutions: stepper motors and brushless motors. Each electrically adjustable antenna is equipped with a control motor with a gearbox. Under normal circumstances, ordinary communication base stations need to be equipped with about 3 antennas, and 4G base stations need to be equipped with 4 to 6 antennas. The number of 5G base stations and antennas will increase further.
Drones/Underwater Drones
Drones have been very popular for several years, but not all drones use brushless motors. Now many drones are switching to brushless motors to obtain a longer and lighter body and longer flight time. According to the Droneii report, the global drone market size was US$14.1 billion in 2018. And it is expected to reach US$43.1 billion by 2024, with the fastest growth in Asia and North America. According to the Civil Aviation Administration's "Civil Drone Mission Registration Information System", as of the end of 2018, there were 285,000 registered drones in China, and by the end of 2019, there were more than 392,000 registered drones, with 1.25 million hours of commercial drone flights.
Electric bicycles/electric vehicles
Electric bicycles not only retain the original riding experience, but also provide intelligent auxiliary power. It is a means of transportation between bicycles and traditional electric vehicles. Electric bicycles mainly use sensors to provide corresponding power assistance according to riding signals, reducing the rider's effort and making riding easier for users. Compared with bicycles, electric bicycles have added motors, batteries, sensors, controllers, instruments, etc., making the riding experience richer. Compared with traditional electric vehicles, electric bicycles do not control the speed by turning the hand, but capture the riding signal through sensors, and then understand the rider's riding intention, provide corresponding power assistance, and make riding more intelligent.
Industrial robots
Industrial robots are mainly a replacement market in China, and the space is quite broad. Although China is the world's largest industrial robot application market, in the field of industrial robots, the world's well-known manufacturers are mainly concentrated in developed countries represented by the United States, Japan, and Germany, such as Sweden's ABB, Japan's Fanuc, Yaskawa Electric, and Germany's Kuka, represented by the four major families.
According to data from the International Federation of Robotics, global industrial robot sales in 2018 were 422,000 sets, of which sales in China were 154,000 sets, accounting for 36.5%. In addition, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China's industrial robot production is also gradually increasing, from about 33,000 sets in 2015 to 187,000 sets in 2018. The growth rate is rapid.
Electrical tools
Electrical tools are one of the most widely used hardware and electrical products. Due to their light structure, easy to carry and use, high production efficiency, and low energy consumption, they are widely used in drilling, cutting, grinding and other processing links in various application industries such as construction, decoration, wood processing, metal processing, and other manufacturing industries. With the continuous development of technology and the gradual acceptance of DIY concepts by people, the application scope of electrical tools is also expanding. Many fields of traditional manual tool operations are beginning to be replaced by electrical tools more and more. And power tools are also expanding from industrial applications to family life. The demand for power tools is increasing year by year.
Personal health care
In terms of personal health care, there are two more representative products, one is Dyson's popular product hair dryer, and the other is the fascia gun. Since Dyson launched the hair dryer product with high-speed digital motor, it has brought the entire hair dryer market into the spotlight.
At present, there are three main directions for hair dryer solutions: one is based on Dyson, using ultra-high-speed brushless motor solutions, the speed is generally around 100,000 rpm, and the highest is 160,000 rpm; the second is the U motor replacement solution, the speed is similar to the U motor, and its advantages are light weight and high wind pressure; the third is the external rotor high-pressure solution, and its motor is mainly imitated from Nedic's solution.
Compressor
Since the speed of the refrigerator compressor determines the temperature inside the refrigerator, and the speed of the variable frequency refrigerator compressor can change according to the temperature, the refrigerator can be adjusted according to the current temperature conditions to keep the temperature inside the refrigerator constant. In this way, the food preservation effect will be better. Most variable frequency refrigerator compressors choose BLDC motors, so they are more efficient, quieter, and have a longer service life.
This field used to be dominated by products from Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese manufacturers, but after 2010, domestic manufacturers started quickly. With the progress of domestic semiconductor manufacturers, whether it is the main control MCU manufacturer, pre-drive Gate Driver, or power MOSFET, domestic manufacturers can basically provide them.
