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

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.

Topics: Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, Vertical Lifts, Application Examples

As the packaging industry continues to evolve, the demand for efficient and reliable machinery is on the rise. One area that has seen significant advancements is in the use of electric actuators. Traditionally, pneumatic actuators have been the go-to choice for many packaging and labeling machines. However, electric actuators are gaining popularity due to their numerous benefits. In this article, we will explore the numerous advantages that electric actuators bring to packaging machinery.

Topics: Stepper Motors, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, VIDEOS

Wafers are the foundation of semiconductor chip manufacturing. The growing demand for semiconductors, driven by technological advancements like AI, IoT, and robotics, makes it crucial to handle these delicate wafers efficiently and precisely.  In this article, we will explain how unified features from a family of motors and actuators can simplify process automation for semiconductor wafers.

Topics: Stepper Motors, Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, VIDEOS, Vertical Lifts, Application Examples

Oriental Motor provides a wide variety of products to meet semiconductor equipment design goals.  This post focuses on motor selection for two specific motion axes of a semiconductor manufacturing process called CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) and explains how to save time by using different products from the same family.

Topics: Stepper Motors, Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, VIDEOS, Gearheads, Application Examples

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.

Topics: Stepper Motors, Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, Motor Sizing, VIDEOS, Software, Network, Application Examples

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.

Topics: Stepper Motors, Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, Servo Motors, Network

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.

Topics: Stepper Motors, Linear & Rotary Actuators, Servo Motors

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.

Topics: Stepper Motors, Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, Software, Rotary/Index Tables, Case Study

Modular automation is the next phase of factory automation where a production line can be separated into mobile modules and can be quickly reconfigured for different purposes.  This article explains the benefits of modular automation and shows how smaller, lighter, and battery-driven motors can help.

Topics: Stepper Motors, Robotics, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, Speed Control, VIDEOS, BLDC Motors, Application Examples

In this blog post, I will explain how to easily program a timed pressing operation with our MEXE02 universal product support software.  This example works for any products included in the AlphaStep AZ Series family, which also includes other series that use the same technology and software.

Topics: Stepper Motors, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, VIDEOS, Software, Application Examples, Motion Control Basics