rotador

Rotador is a Spanish term used to describe a device, component, or muscle that rotates around an axis. The word is applied in several fields, most notably mechanics and anatomy, and its exact meaning can vary with context.

In mechanical engineering, the principal rotating element of an electrical machine is commonly called the rotor, or rotador in some Spanish texts. The rotor operates opposite the stationary part, the stator, and enables the conversion between electrical energy and mechanical energy. Rotor designs include wound rotors and squirrel-cage rotors, and their characteristics influence starting torque, efficiency, and rotational speed. Rotors are also central to turbines, pumps, fans, and propellers, where controlled rotation is essential for performance.

In anatomy, rotadores are muscles that produce rotation at a joint. The best-known example is the rotator cuff of the shoulder, a group of four muscles—supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis—plus their tendons. These structures stabilize the glenohumeral joint and allow external and internal rotation of the arm. The term can also be applied to other muscles that primarily cause rotation around a joint.

Outside technical and biomedical usage, rotador can describe any rotating component or mechanism designed to produce or transmit rotational motion. In practice, the term is often interchangeable with rotor, depending on linguistic preference and disciplinary context.