Motor Starters and Protection Components
The principal function of a motor starter is to start and stop the respective motor to which it is connected. These are specially designed electromechanical switches which are similar in some ways to relays. The main difference between a relay and a starter is that a starter has overload protection for the motor that is missing in a relay. So a starter has two main roles - to switch the power automatically or manually to a motor and at the same time protect the motor from overload or faults. Motor starters are available in diverse ratings and sizes depending on the motor (AC motor) rating and size. These starters safely switch the necessary power to the motor and also play a significant role in preventing the motor from drawing heavy currents.