The vane motor is a mechanical drive that converts the pressure of an incoming gas or liquid into a rotary movement.

It is used in pneumatics and hydraulics. An eccentrically mounted rotor with movable vanes rotates in a fixed housing, the stator. The vanes move radially outwards and close off the space between the rotor and housing.

Because the rotor is not located in the center of the housing (eccentric), the distances to the housing and therefore the chambers enclosed by the vanes vary in size. They are smallest at the inlet. Their size increases towards the outlet or several outlets and then decreases again on the way back to the inlet.

In this way, high speeds can be achieved with low torque. For applications with higher torque, a gearbox is required to reduce the speed and increase the torque.

For a long time, the vane motor was the standard for pneumatic applications. For work in the low speed range, more and more engineers now prefer more efficient and energy-saving solutions such as the Radial piston motor.

Properties:

• Simple construction, inexpensive to purchase
• suitable for applications in the high speed range from approx. 500 to 3000 rpm, where a low torque is sufficient
• Starting torque required
• Speed and torque can only be adjusted via a separately attached gearbox
• Compressed air losses lead to high energy consumption
• loadable until standstill, no sensors and switches required (as would be the case with an electric motor).