In order to more effectively suppress the vibrations of the vertical rotor system, an electromagnetic damper based on active electromagnetic force is proposed as a replacement for the traditional oil film damper, which relies on viscous damping force for vibration reduction. The magnetic circuit structure is simulated and validated using finite element analysis. Based on the dynamic model of the damper under the influence of electromagnetic force, a corresponding PD control system is designed. A vertical rotor acceleration test rig was set up, in which both the electromagnetic damper and the oil film damper were employed as the support structures for the system, respectively, to perform vibration suppression tests and analysis. The experimental results demonstrate that the support characteristics of the electromagnetic damper are dynamically adjustable and exhibit excellent vibration suppression performance with appropriate control parameters, showing a 46.49% reduction in amplitude compared to the oil film damper. Moreover, after integrating a phase lead compensator into the PD controller, the rotor's amplitude in the critical region decreased by 15.78%, while the low-frequency vibration energy was reduced by 86%. The research findings validate the feasibility and applicability of the electromagnetic damper for vibration suppression in vertical rotor systems, while also identifying directions for future optimization.