A stepper motor is an actuator that converts electrical pulses into angular displacement. When the stepper driver receives a pulse signal, it drives the stepper motor to rotate a fixed angle (i.e., stepping angle) in the set direction. The angular displacement can be controlled by controlling the number of pulses to achieve the purpose of accurate positioning; at the same time, the frequency of pulses can be controlled to control the speed and acceleration of the motor rotation, so as to achieve the purpose of speed regulation and positioning.
Advantages of stepper motor:
The stepper motor has low temperature and does not generate heat, which reduces the maintenance of the motor.
The stepper motor will not have large torque pulsations when at rest.
The stepper motor will not have large angular velocity pulsations when rotating.
The stepper motor has good starting characteristics, under the action of the input pulse, it can reach a high starting speed, and speed up as soon as possible to the required operating speed.
The stepper motor has a wide speed range, and can realize smooth and uniform speed performance.
The stepper motor has a high dynamic response speed, in the case of load, can quickly start and brake.
The stepping motor has better positioning accuracy and repeat positioning accuracy, which makes the drive control system have higher motion control accuracy.
The stepping motor is able to output torque uniformly during operation, avoiding changes in torque output caused by changes in speed and load.
The stepping motor has a strong anti-interference ability, will not affect the normal operation of the motor because of external interference signals.
Disadvantages of stepper motors:
Stepper motors are prone to low-frequency vibration at low speeds.
Step motor control accuracy is not high, easily affected by the ambient temperature.
The stepping motor should not be operated in too high or too low temperature environment.
Step motors require regular maintenance to prevent stalling.
The torque of a stepper motor decreases as the speed increases.
Step motors have a large moment of inertia and are not suitable for high frequency starting and braking.
The control system of stepping motor is more complicated, which requires professional technicians to maintain and debug.
The manufacturing cost of stepper motors is higher and more expensive.
The operation noise of stepping motor is large, especially in the case of high speed.
Since stepper motors have the above advantages and disadvantages, you need to choose whether or not to use stepper motors according to the specific application when using them.
Stepper motors are suitable for applications that require high positioning accuracy, speed and acceleration, such as CNC machine tools, printers, robots and so on.
Meanwhile, stepper motors can also be used in applications that require smooth and even speed regulation performance, such as elevators and air conditioners.
For occasions with higher noise requirements, slower running speeds and smaller loads, other types of motors can be considered.