The terms "absolute" and "incremental" comes up frequently in the world of position control. The exact meaning changes according to the context they are used in. For example, absolute and incremental motion can refer to the type of motion done by the motor either by relating it to the absolute home position or the last known position. Absolute and incremental feedback can also refer to the type of feedback device being used with the motor. In this blog post, we will focus on the feedback system and hopefully clarify some differences for you.
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Topics:
Stepper Motors,
Absolute Positioning,
Alphastep Hybrid Control,
Linear & Rotary Actuators,
VIDEOS
The word, "AlphaStep", describes Oriental Motor's patented Hybrid Control technology, which offers improved stepper motor performance by combining the best of both open-loop and closed-loop technology. First introduced in 1998 as the AS Series, the AlphaStep Hybrid Control technology ushered in a new age of stepper motors that can emulate servo performance at a lower cost. Over the years, we have improved the AlphaStep Hybrid Control technology with 2 major advancements to close the gap between stepper motors and servo motors further.
This post explains the unique technologies offered within the AlphaStep family of products then summarizes the numerous integrated options available. It also serves as a website navigation guide.
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Topics:
Stepper Motors,
Stepper Motor Drivers,
Absolute Positioning,
Alphastep Hybrid Control,
Linear & Rotary Actuators,
VIDEOS,
Gearheads,
Software,
Network
Robot adoption is increasing in many industries due to global efforts in reducing long term costs, maintaining quality, and freeing up time for humans to do "human" tasks. For example, by using a robot to clean floors or restock shelves in a supermarket, human employees can spend more time helping or selling to their customers. A company can either tap into this robotic trend by buying ready-made robots, or by making their own with less cost. If engineering resources are limited, selecting the right components can reduce the difficulty and time for the build.
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Topics:
Stepper Motors,
Stepper Motor Drivers,
Robotics,
Absolute Positioning,
Alphastep Hybrid Control,
Linear & Rotary Actuators,
Motor Sizing,
VIDEOS,
Gearheads,
Software
There are many mechanisms that convert rotary motion of an electric motor to linear motion, such as belt/chain drives, screw drives, rack & pinion drives and even CAM drives. Each mechanism offers advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the right technology can help increase load, speed, travel distance, or positioning accuracy.
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Topics:
Absolute Positioning,
Alphastep Hybrid Control,
Linear & Rotary Actuators,
VIDEOS,
Vertical Lifts
In the world of industrial robotics, there are several types of robots typically offering multiple axes of motion for tasks such as parts assembly, material handling, or pick and place operations. These include articulated robots, cartesian/gantry robots, SCARA robots, and Delta robots. Variations of end effectors such as grippers, welders or part rotators can be mounted on the end of the arm to perform different tasks. Depending on number of axes or load capacity, costs can easily add up. Limiting the operation range for these robotic axes of motion is an easy way to prevent costly problems or safety issues later.
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Topics:
Stepper Motors,
Robotics,
Absolute Positioning,
Alphastep Hybrid Control,
VIDEOS,
Software
With recent trends focusing on improving engineering efficiency, many products have been developed to specifically help shorten design cycles for machine automation. Part of improving efficiency is making products easier to use, so additional time and resources can be spent elsewhere. This post describes an example of a product feature that can make index table applications less complex to manage.
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Topics:
Stepper Motors,
Absolute Positioning,
Linear & Rotary Actuators,
VIDEOS,
Software
Automation is great for repetitive tasks, such as test fixtures for a process that has to repeated. In this post, we will explain how to perform a reciprocating motion (back and forth cycles) with a product that does not require a PLC or external presence sensors, which can help speed up design cycles.
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Topics:
Torque Limit (Push Motion),
Absolute Positioning,
Alphastep Hybrid Control,
Linear & Rotary Actuators,
VIDEOS,
Software
