Abstract

An electric motor adapted to be assembled automatically with the minimum of manual handling has a brush box sub-assembly having a brush box with two opposed side walls and containing a brush. The two opposed side walls are stressed to grip and hold the brush against movement, the brush being released for movement in the brush box by separating sufficiently the opposed side walls upon insertion in the electric motor. Preferably, the brush box has a slot between the opposed side walls and a member in the motor is forced into the slot to separate the side walls. In assembling the motor, its stator is located on an end cap, the rotor inserted into the stator, and then the distance measured between an end face of the stator and a location on the shaft of the rotor, subsequently a shaft bearing in that end cap is pressed inwards an amount related to the measured distance to determine the end float of the shaft. The end caps of the motor are both located directly on the end faces of the stator and have an open structure.