Design World

  • Home
  • Articles
    • 3D CAD
    • Electronics • electrical
    • Fastening & Joining
    • Factory automation
    • Linear Motion
    • Motion Control
    • Test & Measurement
    • Sensors
  • 3D CAD Models
    • PARTsolutions
    • TraceParts
  • Leadership
    • 2020 Winners
    • 2019 Winners
    • 2020 LEAP Awards
  • Resources
    • DIGITAL ISSUES
      • EE World Digital Issues
    • Future of Design Engineering
    • 2020 LEAP Awards
    • MC² Motion Control Classroom
    • Motion Design Guide Library
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
  • Women in Engineering
  • Ebooks / Tech Tips
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • COVID-19

Electric motors: Trends in stepper, battery-powered, and integrated motion designs 

By Lisa Eitel | March 2, 2018

Share

← PREVIOUS PAGE || Some customization is to motor cables and connectors, which isn’t as easy as it might sound — as custom connections require testing, which in turn requires the setup of testing arrangements for each wiring iteration.

“In addition, we now have laser-welding capabilities, so can weld custom gears (often third-party pinion gears) onto motor output shafts as a way to provide more complete solutions that more easily integrate with gearboxes or other drive elements,” said McGrath of maxon. Otherwise, OEMs must outsource this work or bond such gears to purchased stock motors.

Gears as value-add components are available for stepper motors as well. “Our customers have always looked to us for components such as planetary gearboxes and encoders. In the last year, we’ve enhanced these offerings with the release of three value-add components,” said Rice. “PE and PH planetary gearheads cover nearly our entire range of motor sizes, from small NEMA 11 motors to larger NEMA 34 and 80-mm motors, and at competitive pricing,” said Rice of Applied Motion Products.

On the encoder side, the manufacturer has partnered with CUI Inc. to introduce a family of capacitive incremental encoders for step motors in NEMA 17, 23, and 24 frame sizes. “Capacitive encoder technology is very attractive from a cost standpoint and inherently resistant to environmental contaminants … making it a robust feedback option,” noted Rice.

maxon also tailors integrated electronics, controls, and encoders to various applications.

“Years ago, most companies used dc tachometers and analog feedback, but over the last decade almost everyone has migrated to the use of encoders. We manufacture and purchases third-party encoders for mounting to motors. Most encoders we integrate are incremental, but we offer some single-turn absolute encoders as well — and we’re seeing increased demand for those,” said McGrath. The manufacturer also offers autoclavable encoders based on magnetic operation for pairing with sterilizable motors and gearboxes. “With this combination, we believe we’re the first to offer a complete setup for medical and laboratory applications.”

A lot of other supplemental engineering doesn’t fall into neat categories. “We specialize in working with engineers who can’t use off-the-shelf product and need value-added features to complete a design,” said Kawaller of ISL. “Internally, it could mean adjusting torque versus speed versus efficiency. Externally it could mean developing an assembly with standard or custom pulleys, cams, blockers, springs, and so forth … even to delivering complete plug-and-play solutions to customers.”

Early collaboration between OEM or design-engineer and the motor manufacturer can make for optimized designs. Image courtesy Portescap

Here, some motor manufacturers offer still other alternatives to help OEMs avoid the difficulty of changing a design’s mechanical system and footprint. One example is a dc coreless motor that delivers various torque levels from a given design package.

“DCP and DCT motors (of the Athlonix dc platform) simplify designs that may require multiple iterations. By providing options for more torque from a given package size, a design’s mechanical configuration needn’t change to test out higher-torque motors,” said Beckstoffer.

Additional options are available with an only slightly bigger diameter to output more torque. Multiple options mean the design engineer’s job to get the optimum motion solution is easier, according to Beckstoffer.

Portescap Athlonix dc coreless DCP and DCT motors simplify the engineering of designs that may go through multiple iterations.

Of course, design engineers also have the option to specify custom motors from scratch. “When an engineer comes to us, it’s typically because they have a motor in their product that’s performing unsatisfactorily,” said Kawaller.

Many such customers are industrial OEMs, and some are Fortune 500 companies. “Our involvement in design projects is more reactive than proactive. Unlike motor suppliers with catalogs of standard product, we partner with a consortium of motor factories in East Asia — each with dedicated capabilities and specialties,” he added.

So, the motors could be anything from simple brushed motors to brushless motors to coreless motors to hybrid stepper motors.

Pages: 1 2 3 4

About Lisa Eitel

Lisa Eitel has worked in the motion industry since 2001. Her areas of focus include motors, drives, motion control, power transmission, linear motion, and sensing and feedback technologies. She has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and is an inductee of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society; a member of the Society of Women Engineers; and a judge for the FIRST Robotics Buckeye Regionals. Besides her motioncontroltips.com contributions, she also leads the production of the quarterly motion issues of Design World.

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

MOTION DESIGN GUIDES

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

“motion

Enews Sign Up

Motion Control Classroom

Design World Digital Edition

cover

Browse the most current issue of Design World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading design engineering magazine today.

EDABoard the Forum for Electronics

Top global problem solving EE forum covering Microcontrollers, DSP, Networking, Analog and Digital Design, RF, Power Electronics, PCB Routing and much more

EDABoard: Forum for electronics

Sponsored Content

  • With virtual commissioning, commissioning time and prototype waste is reduced
  • Master Bond Supreme 10HT High Strength, NASA Low Outgassing Approved Epoxy
  • Optimize, streamline and increase production capacity with pallet-handling conveyor systems
  • Drilling Rig OEM Benefits from a PLC with Edge Computing Technology: IIoT Case Study
  • #1 Reason for Retaining Ring Failure & How to Overcome It
  • Motion controllers: design from scratch or buy ready-made?
Engineering Exchange

The Engineering Exchange is a global educational networking community for engineers.

Connect, share, and learn today »

Tweets by @DesignWorld
Design World
  • Advertising
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Manage your Design World Subscription
  • Subscribe
  • Design World Digital Network
  • Engineering White Papers
  • LEAP Awards

Copyright © 2021 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Design World

  • Home
  • Articles
    • 3D CAD
    • Electronics • electrical
    • Fastening & Joining
    • Factory automation
    • Linear Motion
    • Motion Control
    • Test & Measurement
    • Sensors
  • 3D CAD Models
    • PARTsolutions
    • TraceParts
  • Leadership
    • 2020 Winners
    • 2019 Winners
    • 2020 LEAP Awards
  • Resources
    • DIGITAL ISSUES
      • EE World Digital Issues
    • Future of Design Engineering
    • 2020 LEAP Awards
    • MC² Motion Control Classroom
    • Motion Design Guide Library
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
  • Women in Engineering
  • Ebooks / Tech Tips
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • COVID-19