Design considerations of electromagnetic brakes for servo applications

Servo motors have increased popularity in industrial and robotics applications. Also, servo motors employ electromagnetic brakes for holding and emergency braking. So, electromechanical brakes found numerous fields due to operation and emergency requirements. The design procedure of an electromagnetic brake requires multidisciplinary approach in terms of mechanical, electrical and thermal aspects. This paper focuses on design, development and experimental verification of an electromagnetic brake. The electromagnetic and thermal design is handled in both FEA and analytical models. Electromagnetic brake prototype is produced and design aspects are experimentally verified. Good agreement between the test results and the prototype is achieved.