KOREA: Stepper motor manufacturers step up to the plate

The types of motor available in the market are very diverse in terms of uses and features. Examples of motors include AC motors, DC motors, brushless DC (BLDC) motors, etc. As for the production of motors in Korea, brush motors account for the highest share, followed by stepper motors and BLDC motors.



The most noticeable trend is the increase in demand for stepper motors. According to a report by Fuji Keizai, a market research organization in Japan, the gross output of stepper motors was 937 million in 2006. (In this report, the stepper motor market is categorized into ODD, Non-ODD, and PM.)



Stepper motors, whose rotation angle depends on the number of input pulse, are small-sized motors used for precision control. They are applicable to a variety of fields, ranging from small-sized electronic products such as CD-ROM, FDD, printers, digital cameras and electric home appliances, to semiconductor or testing devices for mobile phones.



DIVERSE FIELDS

The lead screw-type optical disk drive (ODD) market has the highest share in the stepper motor market. On the other hand, the output of permanent magnet (PM) stepper motors for mobile communication terminals has also increased greatly since 2005. Since most ultra-stepper motors released recently feature a diameter of only 8mm, they can easily be installed into small-sized electronic products.

“Stepper motors are being used in diverse fields because they require low maintenance and can be controlled precisely,” said Hyun-gi Yang, deputy manager of Moatech Co. Ltd (www.moatech.com). “The world’s total supply of stepper motors in 2006 is about 900 million, and will continue to increase in 2007.”



The primary driver for stepper motor demand is the growing market for higher performance and miniaturized electronic products. Stepper motors are increasingly being used in diverse fields, ranging from computer to consumer and automotive markets.



EMERGING TRENDS

The small-sized precision motor market has many technical barriers. Although Japanese parts manufacturers are leading in many motor technology advancements, Korean manufacturers are generally just slightly behind them when it comes to stepper motors.



The major manufacturers of stepper motors in Korea are LG Innotek (www.lginnotek.com) and Moatech.



“Moatech accounts for more than 50 percent of the ODD market,” said Yang. “The market is growing by 5 to 10 percent on a yearly basis due to the increase in PC demand. Since ODDs are increasingly being installed into slim laptops, the ODD market will continue to grow.”



On the other hand, stepper motors are expected to replace DC motors in the non-ODD market. “One of the reasons for this is that manufacturers prefer stepper motors to enable the optical zoom feature of digital cameras,” said Yang.



There’s also a huge interest in BLCD motors, which are the main parts of electromotive vehicles. BLDC motors have a longer lifespan and ensure higher performance than regular DC motors. Depending on the product design of electronic product manufacturers, either stepper motors or BLDC motors are used.



Moatech also manufactures BLCD motors for all-in-one devices or printers, as well as adaptive front-lighting system (AFS) and adjustable electronic thermostat (AET) for vehicles.



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