Made in the USA since 1954
Fractional Horsepower Gearmotors
Purpose-built AC, DC and stepper drive solutions for OEM production programs.
View ProductsWelcome to Molon Motor & Coil Corporation
American-Built AC, DC & Stepper Gearmotors for Demanding OEM Applications
Since 1954, Molon Motor & Coil Corporation has designed, wound and assembled fractional horsepower (FHP) motors and gearmotors in Illinois, USA. Our engineers work from the load backwards: required output torque, speed, duty cycle, mounting envelope, acoustic limits and agency approvals are translated into a validated winding, gear train and bearing system — not a catalogue compromise.
That approach has produced thousands of application-specific drives for ice machines, commercial food equipment, medical devices, vending, HVAC actuation, laboratory instruments, agricultural equipment and industrial automation. Because tooling, coil winding, gear assembly and end-of-line testing are performed in-house, Molon controls lead time, revision traceability and unit-to-unit repeatability across medium to high volume production.
What makes an FHP gearmotor project succeed? In our experience, three details decide it: realistic duty-cycle definition (continuous versus intermittent thermal load), honest overhung load calculation at the output shaft, and early agreement on the gear ratio tolerance band. Molon reviews all three before tooling is released, which is why so many programs stay in production for a decade or more.
Motor & Gearmotor Product Lines
Four engineered platforms cover the full span of low-power motion, from fixed-speed line-voltage drives to precision indexing.
AC Motors & Gearmotors
- PSC & PSC synchronous
- Shaded pole motors & gearmotors
- 115 / 230 V, 50 & 60 Hz
Continuous-duty torque directly from line voltage — the workhorse of appliance and food-service equipment.
View AC Range →
DC Motors & Gearmotors
- PMDC & brushless DC (BLDC)
- Parallel shaft, planetary, right angle
- 12 / 24 VDC battery friendly
Variable speed, high efficiency and long service life for mobile and electronically controlled systems.
View DC Range →
Stepper Motors & Gearmotors
- Hybrid stepper motors
- Planetary & spur gearheads
- Repeatable open-loop indexing
Discrete, repeatable positioning with holding torque for dosing, metering and instrumentation.
View Stepper Range →
Specialty Motors
- AC induction motors / gearmotors
- Special use & special features
- Energy-efficient ice-maker drives
Application-hardened drives where standard products stop — sealed, high-torque or thermally severe duty.
View Specialty Range →Which Motor Technology Fits Your Application?
Buyers and design engineers frequently ask us to compare platforms side by side. The matrix below summarises how Molon engineers position each technology during a selection review.
| Criteria | Shaded Pole AC | PSC AC | PMDC | Brushless DC | Stepper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical supply | 115 / 230 VAC | 115 / 230 VAC | 12 / 24 / 90 VDC | 12 / 24 / 48 VDC | Driver dependent |
| Speed control | Fixed (line) | Fixed (line) | Simple voltage control | Full electronic control | Step / pulse control |
| Relative efficiency | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Moderate |
| Service life driver | Bearings & gears | Bearings & capacitor | Brush wear | Bearings & electronics | Bearings |
| Best suited to | Low-cost continuous duty | Quiet, higher-torque AC duty | Cost-sensitive DC motion | Long-life variable speed | Positioning & metering |
| Gear train options | Spur / offset | Spur / offset | Parallel, planetary, right angle | Parallel, planetary, right angle | Planetary / spur |
Standard engineering options you can specify
Winding voltage and frequency, gear ratio and backlash class, output shaft diameter, length, flats, keys and pinions, sleeve or ball bearings, thermal protectors, lead length and connector type, EMI suppression, encoders and Hall feedback, mounting brackets, corrosion-resistant finishes, food-grade or low-temperature lubricants, and customer-specific labelling. See AC & DC motor options and motor construction for details.
