Stepper motors are one of the most challenging motors today. They feature high-precision stepping, high resolution, and smooth motion. Stepper motors generally require customization to achieve optimal performance in specific applications. Often custom design attributes are stator winding patterns, shaft configurations, custom housings, and specialized bearings, which make the design and manufacture of stepper motors extremely challenging. The motor can be designed to fit the application, rather than forcing the application to fit the motor, a flexible motor design can take up minimal space. Micro stepper motors are difficult to design and manufacture and are often unable to compete with larger motors In the field of automation, especially applications that require high precision, such as micro-pumps, fluid metering and control, pinch valves and optical sensor control. Micro stepper motors can even be integrated into electric hand tools, such as electronic pipettes, where hybrid stepper motors were not previously possible to integrate.
Miniaturization is an ongoing concern in many industries and has been one of the main trends in recent years, with motion and positioning systems requiring smaller, more powerful motors for production, testing, or everyday laboratory use. The motor industry has been designing and building small stepper motors for a long time, and motors small enough to exist in many applications still do not exist. Where motors are small enough, they lack the specifications required for the application, such as providing enough torque or speed to be competitive in the market. The sad option is to use a large frame stepper motor and retract all the other components around, often via special brackets and mounting extra hardware. Motion control in this small area is extremely challenging, forcing engineers to compromise on the spatial structure of the device.
Standard brushless DC motors are structurally and mechanically self-supporting. The rotor is suspended inside the stator through end caps at both ends. Any peripherals that need to be connected are usually bolted to the end caps, which easily occupy to 50% of the total length of the motor. Frameless motors reduce waste and redundancy by eliminating the need for additional mounting brackets, plates or brackets, and all structural and mechanical supports required by the design can be integrated directly into the motor. The benefit of this is that the stator and rotor can be seamlessly integrated into the system, reducing size without sacrificing performance.
Miniaturization of stepper motors is challenging. The performance of a motor is directly related to its size. As the frame size decreases, so does the space for the rotor magnets and windings, which not only affects the maximum torque output available, but also It will affect the running speed of the motor. Most attempts to make a NEMA6 size hybrid stepper motor in the past have failed, thus showing that the frame size of the NEMA6 is too small to provide any useful performance. By applying experience in custom design and expertise in several disciplines, the motor industry was able to successfully create a hybrid stepper motor technology that has failed in other areas. available dynamic torque, but also offers a high level of precision.
A typical permanent magnet motor has 20 steps per revolution, or a step angle of 18 degrees, and with a 3.46 degree motor, it is able to provide 5.7 times the resolution. This higher resolution translates directly into higher accuracy, providing a Hybrid stepper motor. Combined with this step angle change, and the low inertia rotor design, the motor is able to achieve more than 28 grams of dynamic torque at speeds approaching 8,000 rpm, delivering similar speed performance to a standard brushless DC motor. Increasing the step angle from a typical 1.8 degrees to 3.46 degrees allows them to achieve nearly double the holding torque of the closest competing designs, and at up to 56 g/in, the holding torque is nearly the same size (up to 14 g/in) four times that of conventional permanent magnet stepper motors.
Micro stepper motors can be used in a variety of industries that require a compact structure while maintaining a high level of precision, especially in the medical industry, from emergency rooms to patient bedside to laboratory equipment, micro stepper motors are more cost-effective. high. There is currently a lot of interest in hand-held pipettes. Micro stepper motors provide the high resolution required for precise dispensing of chemicals. These motors provide higher torque and higher quality. For the lab, the tiny stepper motor becomes the benchmark of quality. The compact size makes the miniature stepper motor the perfect solution, whether it is a robotic arm or a simple XYZ stage, stepper motors are easy to interface and can provide open-loop or closed-loop functionality.
Post time:
Aug-05-2022
