April 2020

Increasingly complex production processes demand comprehensive communications systems which are required to co-ordinatemultiple products. At their centre are high quality motors designed to deliver reliable, high performance operation. Oriental Motor has expanded the communications options for its AZ Series of closed loop stepper motors, with the addition of EtherCAT and Ethernet IP-compatible drivers. Oriental Motor supplies a wide variety of reliable, proven technology motors, and is a specialist in high quality stepper motors. Today, stepper motors are used in applications that require positional accuracy. The high quality, closed loop stepper motors manufactured by Oriental Motor have outstanding precision which distinguishes them frommany of the alternatives that are available in the market today. In addition, the motor technology does not accumulate measurement errors between steps, which means that the motor can set positions with a high degree of accuracy. Another distinguishing feature of Oriental Motor’s design that makes them a viable alternative to a servo motor is the use of micro stepping to support stable rotation at very low speeds, while drivers improve the torque of stepper motors at high speeds. Commands are synchronised to a pulse so that there is no command-response lag. While traditional stepper motors are well known, advanced closed loop stepper motors, like the AZ series, are relatively unknown. Servo motors, which are typically used in motion control in a wide range of applications, from home appliances to automotive and aeroplanes. In some cases, however specifying a servo motor can be an expensive option. Although high-end, expensive servo motors can achieve precise positioning, it can be complex and time consuming to set up and it is also sensitive to environmental changes. In comparison, the AZ series of advanced closed loop stepper motors operates ‘out of the box’and without the sensitivity issues of servo motors. In such cases, a high quality stepper motor will deliver accurate results. Which stepper motor? The choice of stepper motor, therefore, requires careful consideration of the application. What load inertia is there to overcome?What torque is required?What operational speed is required? For highly accurate positioning, the user has the option of planetary (PN) or zero backlash harmonic gears, and the gear ratio has to be confirmed for the correct size steps to match the required indexing distance. Stepper motors can be divided into three categories: • Advanced closed loop – these are used where systems required feedback. Position, velocity and applied torque are constantly monitored and maintained with great accuracy, without needing to include external sensors in the machine build. This is the most versatile of the stepper motors and particularly effective for rapid indexing and applications with complex motion profiles; • Advanced open loop – these are a simpler and lower cost motor, used in simple processes, particularly in systems where feedback is not critical, for example, fluid or gel dosing systems or machines with a constant simply indexing profile; • Traditional stepper motor – these are used where straightforward and accurate positioning operation is required. The A Z Series of stepper motors The closed loop AZ Series stepper motors provide positional accuracy, eliminate hunting, deliver rapid acceleration and deceleration and do not require tuning or re- tuning after environmental changes. The AZ Series stepper motors drive all of Oriental Motor’s actuator range. This means that several different products in the same range can easily be coordinated in one application. This is particularly beneficial in the development of complex machines that may have several different axes. A single common type of driver used across a wide range of products in high end machines, such as closed loop stepper motors and actuators reduces the software requirement across the entire production line. In addition to maximising return of investment on other legacy software used in the production line, Oriental Motor provides software free of charge with each product. n ADVERTORIAL FEATURE Oriental Motor Advances INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION Figure 1: Oriental Motor offers a wide variety of motors, including the flagship AZ Series of stepper motors