Welcome to Oriental Motor's "Engineering Notes" Blog:

Robotics automation can be easier to build than you think.  Here's an example of how a 5-axis SCARA robot can be built in-house with off-the-shelf products.

Robots are increasing in demand due to continuing labor shortages and the push for error-less efficiency in manufacturing.  In the meantime, other companies are falling behind because they either do not have the capital or engineering know-how to implement robotics automation.  While you can buy a robot and pay someone else to program it to do what you want, building and programming your own robot can be easier than you think.

The level of troubleshooting you can perform depends on your knowledge of the system.  This technical article provides the basics of troubleshooting for stepper motor systems from my experience as a technical support engineer.

Motors exhibit noise.  The important thing to know is how you distinguish normal noise from abnormal noise, and how to troubleshoot.

AC motors are the workhorses of industrial automation.  They're robust, easy to use, and offer a wide product breadth.  What do you do if they stop working, and you don't have a spare?

Tension control is a niche application that is not easy to implement.  Using the right type of motor is the first step to success.  Hint: you don't always have to use a servo motor.

Servo motor systems are expensive but great for demanding applications that require high speed, peak torque, or feedback.  Stepper motors are cost-effective but do not offer the peace of mind of feedback.  For designs that do not need the bells and whistles of servo motor systems, there is another option.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, global food prices reached an all-time high in 2022.  This case study explains how a vegetable farm in Hokkaido, Japan, improved production efficiency and reduced costs by building in-house automation.

Pneumatic linear actuators and electric linear actuators are often compared for linear motion requirements that do not require the high forces of hydraulic linear actuators.  Here are 15 factors that should be considered.

In this post, we introduce a real-world SCARA and cartesian/gantry robot example of in-house automation built using our AlphaStep AZ Series family of motors, actuators, drivers, and our 4-axis robot controller.