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Three phase induction motors have a very simple construction made up of a stator protected with electromagnets, and a rotor composed of conductors shorted at each end, arranged as a “squirrel cage”. They work on the theory of induction where a rotating electro-magnetic field it created by applying a three-stage current at the stators electromagnets. This in turn induces a current inside the rotor’s conductors, which in turns creates rotor’s magnetic field that attempts to follow stator’s magnetic field, pulling the rotor into rotation.

Great things about AC Induction Motors are:

Induction motors are basic and rugged in building. They are better quality and can operate in any environmental condition

Induction motors are cheaper in expense due to simple rotor construction, absence of brushes, commutators, and slip rings


Induction motors can be operated in polluted and explosive conditions as they do not have brushes that may cause sparks

AC Induction motors are Asynchronous Devices and therefore the rotor will not change at the exact same speed since the stator’s rotating magnetic field. Some difference in the rotor and stator swiftness is necessary to be able to produce the induction into the rotor. The difference between your two is named the slip. Slip should be kept in a optimal range to ensure that the motor to operate effectively. Roboteq AC Induction controllers could be configured to operate in one of three modes:

Scallar (or Volts per Hertz): an Open loop mode where a control causes a simultaneous, fixed-ratio Frequency and Voltage change.

Controlled Slip: a Closed Loop speed where voltage and frequency are controlled to keep slip within a narrow range while running at a desired speed.

Field Oriented Control (Vector Drive): a Closed Loop Rate and Torque control that functions by optimizing the rotating field of the stator vs. this of the induced field in the rotor.

Observe this video from Induction Motor Learning Engineering for a visual illustration about how AC Induction Motors are constructed and work.