What are motor starters? 

Motor starters refer to electromechanical devices, which are designed as a part of motor control applications and are primarily used to initiate and end electric motor operations. These starters are very much similar to relays but differ significantly in their components. For instance, motor starters feature a contactor as well as overload protection, which relays lack. The overload protection component of a motor starter is present to provide the electric motor with protection against electrical overloading. 

Types of motor starters

Motor starters come in a multitude of varieties, the most common of which are:

• DOL (Direct On Line) starters: DOL starters, also called across the line starters, are the most widely used general-purpose electric motor starters. They feature a magnetic contactor and are ideally used for motors that run in a unilinear direction and at a consistent speed.  
• Reversing DOL starters: Similar to the DOL starters, the reversing DOL starters work just the way it is named - in a reverse motion, i.e., either forwards or backward. They are three-button starters and are commonly used in conveyor-based equipment. 
• Star delta starter: These types of motor starters are reduced voltage starters, which are capable of controlling a three-phase induction motor. 
• Soft starter: Motor starters like the soft starter are designed to reduce the power load, electrical current surges and torque of the motors during startup. Soft starters are usually used with AC electric motors. 

Applications

Motor Starters are used extensively across different industrial and non-industrial applications. They can be commonly found in use with:

• Machine tools
• Pumps
• Motor generators
• Induction motor