You’ve decided you want the simplicity and reliability of an electric motor for your robotic product, but comparing the thousands of options on the market for their suitability to your exact applications can be a daunting task. Many companies are choosing custom electric motors because they can actually be cheaper and more effective solutions in the long run. Read on to find out why companies are increasingly opting for custom motors development.

1. Custom motors aren’t as expensive as you may think. The standard electric motor may cost less off the shelf, but factor in the time it takes to adapt it to your specifications (both in labor and parts) and the potential for mistakes, which can cause you to potentially have to redo work or even start over, and the price for standard and bespoke motors start to come into alignment.

2. You can get custom motors in the same amount of time or faster than you can modify standard ones. One of the many benefits of turning to a trusted third party for custom motors development is the ability to set your own timeline and work with a team that can scale to meet your schedule, all while you and your team are freed up to work on other things.

3. Robotic products powered by custom motors last longer. You may find off-the-shelf parts that are close enough in size to make your motor work at first, but over time even slight deviations in size and other variations may cause wear and tear and ultimately shorten the lifespan of the motor. Custom electric motors eliminate the need for missized parts and the damage they can cause.

4. Customization ensures you won’t have to forfeit any application functionality. When manufacturers set out to modify off-the-shelf electric motors, they often find they cannot power all of the features they so carefully designed for their application or product. This can become a big problem if the product concept has already been marketed or a prototype promised to customers. 

5. Custom motors reduce may reduce your liability for risks incurred in external deployment. When a vendor delivers a robotic product, they are often liable for malfunctions and held responsible should the motor cause damage to other parts. Using a custom electric motor safeguards your reputation by reducing such errors and contributing to the delivery of a quality product. 

6. Many custom motors development suppliers will guarantee their work for a period of time. When you work with a company to build a custom electric motor, they will usually provide a warranty. And consider that any warranty you get on a store-bought electric motor will be rendered void once you modify it. Although you’re less likely to need the insurance when you go the custom route, given the risk involved with the deployment of an electric motor—especially one that’s amateurly modified—it’s nice to have.

7. Custom brushless motors prevent costly brushless modification mistakes. Given their reliance on electronic commutation, brushless motors are as complex as they are efficient. Since they can cost as much as 30% more than their brushed counterparts, botching modification to them is that much more expensive should you have to replace them in the adaptation process. The custom brushless motor can potentially save you time and money while being matched to your precise applications.

8. Custom DC motors may help you save time and money over augmenting standard ones. Similar to brushless motors, DC motors are more complex and therefore mistakes made in modifying them are more costly. Retaining an outside professional to build a custom DC motor cuts down on the financial, scheduling, and liability risks associated with altering a standard one.

While it may seem you can get a product out the door faster and cheaper by going it alone, customers will notice over time if the products break down, don’t last as long as expected or promised, or don’t deliver full functionality. For maximum electric motor lifespan and efficacy, while keeping costs and time to deployment minimal, custom motors development is the clear choice for powering long-lasting robotic products that generate repeat business.