The Difference between Brushless dc motor and stepper motor

In fact, basically, BLDC motor and stepper motor are the same types. They are all permanent-magnet synchronous motors. If anything, their main difference is the mode of operation.

In terms of rotation, stepper motors operated in steps. That is to say, a stepper motor is a brushless dc motor that divides a rotation into equal steps. Form here, we can see, the stepper motor will run at precision motion. This feature is very suitable in the motion control that requires repeatability. While for brushless DC motors, they will provide smooth motion.

For respective characteristics, so their running mode has some discrepancies. At running, The rotor aligns with the stator in stepper motor, while in the brushless DC motor’s rotor lags stator.

So, at the beginning of designing, the stepper motor is intended to maximize holding torque. The BLDC is used for generating maximum torque. Especially, compared with BDLC motor with an inner rotor, the outer rotor motor will generate higher torque.

For phase, the stepper motor is usually two phases and 90 degrees, while the brushless dc motor is three phases and 180 degrees.

Common, stepper motors are used in :

1, 3D Printer

2, Storage retrieval systems

BLDC motors are used in:

1, Dispense Robot

2, Air Pump

3, Water Pump