Engineering Notes by Oriental Motor

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

Products and technology are only valuable when coupled with skilled people and services to support them. Since 1978, ORIENTAL MOTOR U.S.A. CORP. has been building a service and support system to better serve customers. It is our goal to provide the best product and service from the design phase, through the sale and beyond.

Our blog will feature:

  • Introduction to new products and technologies
  • Motion control basics and application examples
  • Tips for motor selection, programming, and troubleshooting

 

All-in-One Hybrid Step-Servo Solution for Compact Precision Automation

Posted by Johann Tang on Jan 15, 2026 4:45:37 PM

All-in-One Hybrid Step-Servo Solution for Compact Precision Automation
11:36

Modern automation increasingly demands higher reliability,  faster time-to-build, and easier scalability in a smaller package. If you’ve ever wished you had an easy button for motion control, Oriental Motor’s αSTEP Hybrid Step-Servo AZ Series product family lets you build your own compact, modular motion control solution by choosing off-the-shelf products.

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear Actuators, VIDEOS, Product Introductions

Boosting Throughput with Omnidirectional Motion: Introducing Full 360° Type SCARA Robots

Posted by Johann Tang on Dec 8, 2025 12:33:25 PM

Boosting Throughput with Omnidirectional Motion: Introducing Full 360° Type SCARA Robots
5:54

In high-volume manufacturing, every second matters.  Although traditional SCARA robots have been a staple in assembly and material handling, their limited rotational range can often cause delays that can keep them from maximizing throughput.

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Topics: Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, VIDEOS, Application Examples, Product Introductions

Why Electromagnetic Brake Type Motors are Necessary for the Medical Industry

Posted by Johann Tang on Mar 31, 2025 9:00:00 PM

Why Electromagnetic Brake Type Motors are Necessary for the Medical Industry
8:34

Motors with built-in electromagnetic brakes enhance safety by preventing unexpected movement during power failures, which is crucial for medical applications where precision, safety, and reliability are essential.
 
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Topics: AC Motors, Stepper Motors, Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Linear Actuators, VIDEOS, BLDC Motors, Vertical Lifts, Application Examples, Service Life, Medical, AGV/AMR, Laboratory, Incremental Positioning

OVR Series: A Family of Easy-to-Use Small Industrial Robots

Posted by Johann Tang on Nov 30, 2024 12:30:00 PM

OVR Series: A Family of Easy-to-Use Small Industrial Robots
13:15

Interested in industrial robots but not sure where to start?  Learn how Oriental Motor's compact and easy-to-use small industrial robots, robot controllers, and software can help simplify robotic automation.

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear Actuators, VIDEOS, Software, Application Examples, Product Introductions, XYZ/Cartesian/Gantry

AZX Series: Servo Motors with Mechanical Absolute Encoders

Posted by Johann Tang on Oct 31, 2024 10:00:00 PM

AZX Series: Servo Motors with Mechanical Absolute Encoders
10:54

This article introduces the key innovations of the powerful AZX Series, which is a uniquely different servo motor and driver system designed to be easier to use and more cost-effective than traditional servo motor systems.

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Topics: Absolute Positioning, VIDEOS, Servo Motors, Product Introductions

Stepper Motor Linear Actuator Attachment: Easily Convert Stepper Motors to Linear Actuators

Posted by Johann Tang on Sep 30, 2024 12:00:00 PM

Stepper Motor Linear Actuator Attachment: Easily Convert Stepper Motors to Linear Actuators
6:30

 

The popularity of micro linear actuators has been steadily increasing, driven by the need to increase productivity in confined spaces.  To help meet the demand of the miniaturization trend, Oriental Motor has developed a compact linear actuator that can be attached to an off-the-shelf stepper motor.

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Linear Actuators, VIDEOS, Application Examples, Product Introductions, Medical, Incremental Positioning

Gearhead Selection for Stepper Motors

Posted by Johann Tang on Jul 25, 2024 6:06:42 PM

Gearhead Selection for Stepper Motors
17:07

Selecting a gearhead for a stepper motor is like picking out the right shoes for the occasion. Sure, you can wear Air Jordans on a football field, but they're not better than a pair of regular cleats. Similarly, you can use a harmonic gearhead to drive a unidirectional conveyor, but you may be overpaying for its zero-backlash capability when you don't have to.  Picking the right gearhead can ensure the best balance between performance and budget.

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Motor Sizing, Gearheads, Motion Control Basics, Incremental Positioning

Case Study: How a Compact Electric Gripper Can Help with Articulated Robots

Posted by Johann Tang on May 31, 2024 8:45:00 AM

Case Study: How a Compact Electric Gripper Can Help with Articulated Robots
14:17

An end effector, such as an electric gripper, is an essential part of industrial robots. More importantly, using the right gripper for the load being transferred prevents damage while improving automation efficiency.  In this article, we share how one system integrator has successfully adopted an electric gripper for one of their articulated robots.

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Topics: Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear Actuators, VIDEOS, Application Examples, Medical, Food & Packaging, Case Studies

10 Advantages of Gear Motors

Posted by Johann Tang on Mar 29, 2024 8:48:38 PM

By adding a gearhead to a motor, a motor becomes a gear motor, and its torque is multiplied by its gear ratio and gear efficiency.  However, beyond increasing torque, there are many other advantages to using gear motors.

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Topics: AC Motors, Stepper Motors, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, BLDC Motors, Gearheads, Application Examples, Rotary Actuators/Index Tables

Redefining Precision and Reliability for Wafer Pin Lifters

Posted by Johann Tang on Mar 28, 2024 5:55:39 PM

Downtime is a no no for semiconductor fabs.  Even a brief interruption can result in significant financial losses and disruptions in production.  In this article, we explain how a linear actuator's built-in precision and reliability can simplify and even improve the design of wafer processing machinery, such as a silicon wafer pin lift.

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Topics: Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear Actuators, Vertical Lifts, Application Examples, Wafer Pin Lifters, Semiconductors

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