Closed-loop operation enables the controller/drive to command that the load remain at a specific position, however, and the motor will make continual adjustments to hold it there. Unlike stepper motors, they do not have holding torque per se. They also deliver more consistent torque across the speed range of the motor. This enables servo motors to be used with gearboxes to deliver much higher torque at useful speeds. They run significantly faster than stepper motors, with speeds on the order of several thousand RPMs (see figure 3). In general, servo motors are more sophisticated than stepper motors. The trade-off is increased cost, size, and complexity. Still, at these resolutions, even a 200-step move corresponds to a fraction of a degree.įigure 3: With closed-loop feedback, servo motors deliver high accuracy positioning coupled with better speed and acceleration than stepper motors. Although we command stepper motors with a resolution of typically between 25,000 and 50,000 counts per revolution, because the motor is a spring-mass system under load, our typical resolution is 2000 to 6000 counts per revolution. If the drive commands a motor to advance 200 steps, however, it will do so to within just a few steps, which at that point represents an error of a few percent.

As a result, a command to advance by five steps may only result in the motor turning four steps – or six.

The motor needs to break friction to begin turning and move the load, at which point the rotor is not fully controlled. You can think of a stepper motor as a spring-mass system. Stepper motors also have performance limitations. As a result, it is unusual to find stepper motors capable of producing more than 1000 to 2000 ounce inches of torque. Stepper motors generally are not available in frame sizes larger than NEMA 34, with most applications falling in the NEMA 17 or NEMA 23 motor sizes. If the motor is being used to drive a ball-screw actuator or similar, it probably will not deliver sufficient speed to satisfy the needs of the application. Adding a 10:1 gear reducer to a 1200 RPM stepper motor might boost the torque by an order of magnitude but it will also drop the speed to 120 RPM. In theory, a gearbox could be used to increase torque, but this is where the low speed of stepper motors becomes a problem. A motor that generates 100 ounce inches at zero speed might only deliver 50 ounce inches at 500 RPM, for example, and just 10 ounce inches at 1000 RPM. Although they generate high torque at zero speed, torque falls off as speed increases (see figure 2). They generally run best at 1200 RPM or lower. On the downside, stepper motors have speed limitations. They are compact and generally economical (see figure 1).įigure 1: Stepper motors deliver good performance at an economical price point for applications requiring low speed, acceleration, and accuracy. The high pole count allows them to generate very high torque at zero speed. Because they generate incremental motion, they are generally run open loop, eliminating the cost and complexity of an encoder or resolver. Stepper motors have a number of positive attributes. Because of the very high pole count, the motion appears to be continuous. The stepper motor driver energizes each pole in sequence so that the rotor turns in a series of increments, or steps. Stepper motors feature very high pole counts, typically 50 or more. When current runs through the stator windings, it generates a magnetic flux distribution that interacts with the magnetic field distribution of the rotor to apply a turning force. Stepper motors consist of a rotor with permanent magnets and a stationary stator that carries the windings. The decision tree for choosing between the two has many branches but the most important are speed, acceleration, and price target.

When properly applied, however, both stepper motor and servo motor can provide effective, reliable power for a highly successful system. That holds particularly for servo motors and stepper motors. It is an engineering truism that there is no perfect solution, just the best solution for the problem at hand.

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