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

 

What Determines Motor Life?

Posted by Johann Tang on Sep 30, 2020 10:30:00 AM

Knowing how to use a product properly can make a huge difference in its performance and life.  For example, knowing how to maintain cast iron pans properly can make them last longer.  With electric motors, understanding the factors that affect motor life is the first step to extending life and decreasing costs in the long run.

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Topics: AC Motors, Stepper Motors, Linear Actuators, Speed Control, Servo Motors, Service Life

Stepper Motor Wiring Basics: Unipolar vs Bipolar

Posted by Johann Tang on Aug 28, 2020 9:03:36 PM

An easy way to alter the speed and torque characteristics of a stepper motor is to connect it to a different type of driver or change its wiring configuration.  However, there's more to it.  Knowing the pros and cons between "unipolar" and "bipolar" can make or break your stepper motor performance.

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Motion Control Basics

Monitor Your Machine Like a Traffic Light System

Posted by Johann Tang on Jun 19, 2020 8:00:00 PM

For automated factories, motor failures mean lost production and lost revenue.  Being able to identify the specific issue in advance and its location is critical to maintaining production efficiency.  To be successful, extra sensors must be added to detect abnormalities.  There may be an easier way.

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear Actuators, VIDEOS, Network, Application Examples, Troubleshooting

10 Advantages of Geared Motors

Posted by Johann Tang on May 29, 2020 9:37:39 PM

Oriental Motor offers many pre-assembled geared motors for quality, consistency, and reliability.   In addition, gearheads from our industry partners increase the torque range of our motors further to accommodate more applications.  Here are some advantages of geared motors.

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

Flexible Configurations For Hollow Rotary Actuators

Posted by Johann Tang on May 21, 2020 11:30:00 AM

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear Actuators, Gearheads, Rotary Actuators/Index Tables

Control Basics: The Difference Between Sink and Source Logic

Posted by Johann Tang on Apr 30, 2020 9:16:14 PM

For someone who has never had experience wiring I/O for motion control, it can be scary the first time.  If devices are not wired correctly, it can cause a range of issues from a motor simply not doing what's expected to irreversible product damage.  I still get that nervous feeling before I press the START button on a demo.  Murphy's Law, anyone?

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Topics: AC Motors, Stepper Motors, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear Actuators, Speed Control, BLDC Motors, Servo Motors, Motion Control Basics

Gear Basics: Backlash vs Lost Motion

Posted by Johann Tang on Apr 29, 2020 9:13:21 PM

The significance of position control accuracy of motors varies depending on the application.  For an AGV in a farm with DC motor-driven wheels, position control accuracy is probably not as crucial as a surgical robot where incisions are controlled by servo motors or stepper motors.

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Gearheads, Servo Motors, Motion Control Basics

Motor Sizing Basics Part 4 - How to Calculate Radial Load and Axial Load

Posted by Johann Tang on Mar 31, 2020 7:58:57 PM

Besides load torque, acceleration torque, speed, and load inertia, overlooking certain sizing parameters during the motor sizing process can literally make or break your machine.

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Topics: AC Motors, Stepper Motors, Speed Control, Motor Sizing, BLDC Motors, Gearheads, Servo Motors, Motion Control Basics

The Proper Way to Use a Gripper

Posted by Johann Tang on Mar 5, 2020 5:11:16 PM

A gripper is typically an end effector that is installed at the end of a robotic arm or on a cartesian robot and can be used to grip parts in order to transfer them from one location to another.  However, there's more to it than just closing the jaws to pinch a part.  

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

Motor Sizing Basics Part 3: How to Calculate Speed, Acceleration Torque, and RMS Torque

Posted by Johann Tang on Feb 27, 2020 9:05:40 PM

Now that we understand the calculations behind load torque and load inertia, we're a little closer to motor selection.  You might be wondering why I separated load torque and acceleration torque calculations.  That's because in order to calculate for acceleration torque, load inertia and speed must be calculated first. 

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Topics: AC Motors, Stepper Motors, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear Actuators, Speed Control, Motor Sizing, BLDC Motors, Servo Motors, Motion Control Basics

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