Stepper motors are employed in a variety of applications across the engineering spectrum because they are inexpensive, simple to operate, and offer high torque at low speeds. Stepper motors are inherently open-loop devices. They don’t require feedback because each pulse of current delivered by the drive equals one step of the motor or a fraction of a step in the case of microstepping. Plus, with small step sizes, the motor’s position can be determined very precisely without the need for a feedback device and complicated control schemes.
Stepper Motor Basics
Stepper motors have multiple "toothed" electromagnets arranged around a gear-shaped rotor. To make the motor shaft turn, these electromagnets are energized in a specific sequence. Each specific sequence corresponds to one step of the motor. A stepper motor typically has 200 steps per revolution.
Closed Loop Stepper vs Normal Stepper Motor
Closed-loop stepper motors are an advanced development of classical stepper motor technology. They eliminate the limitations and drawbacks of classical stepper motors, from resonance-free operation to reduced acceleration times.
Here are some ideal application areas for closed-loop stepper motors:
- Multiple-axis applications (serial, Ethernet, EtherCAT, CANopen)
- Positioning tasks with load changes
- Winding applications
- Belt drives (start/stop, positioning)
- Dosing pumps, filler systems
- Semiconductor mounting
- Wafer production
- Textile machines/industrial sewing machines
- Robotics
- Testing and inspection systems
- Applications that require smooth operation, short settling times and precise positioning
Choosing The Best Stepper Motor for your application
In this video, you will learn about measurement of torque put out when manufacturers list it in oz/in rating.
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Building Tracked Robot With Motor Driver
