Machine Design – May 2019

O

ne of the more criti-

cal decisions engi-

neers can make when

designing any type of

motion control process is choosing the

motor. Getting the right motor, both in

terms of type and size, is imperative to

the final machine’s operational efficien-

cy. Furthermore, ensuring the motor

won’t break the budget is always a pri-

mary concern.

One of the first questions to answer

in making the decision is: Which type

of motor would be best? Does the appli-

cation require a high-performance

servo motor? Would a low-cost step-

per be better? Or maybe there’s a third,

middle-of-the road option to consider?

The answers start with the needs of

the specific application. There are many

factors to address before determining

the type of motor that would be ideal for

any given application.

THE REQUIREMENTS

How many cycles per minute does the

motor need to make? How much torque

Closed-loop stepper motors may be the best choice for tasks typically done by

servos because traditional steppers couldn’t handle them.

Which Motors Are the Best:

SERVOS or

STEPPERS?

JOHN BROKAW | Valin

Motion Control

46 MAY 2019 MACHINE DESIGN