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

 

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

Motor Sizing Basics Part 2: How to Calculate Load Inertia

Posted by Johann Tang on Jan 17, 2020 7:51:53 PM

Other than torque or speed, another factor should be considered when sizing motors.  

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Topics: AC Motors, Stepper Motors, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear Actuators, Speed Control, Motor Sizing, BLDC Motors, Gearheads, Servo Motors, Rotary Actuators/Index Tables, Motion Control Basics

Motor Sizing Basics Part 1: How to Calculate Load Torque

Posted by Johann Tang on Jan 14, 2020 8:14:54 PM

Proper sizing of a motor requires that 3 criteria must be met: torque, load inertia, and speed.  For the first part of this Motor Sizing Basics series, I will be explaining what load torque is, how to calculate it for specific application examples, and how it fits into the torque requirement for the application.

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Topics: AC Motors, Stepper Motors, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear Actuators, Speed Control, Motor Sizing, BLDC Motors, Servo Motors, Rotary Actuators/Index Tables, Motion Control Basics, Conveyors

Proud Moments To Be Thankful For

Posted by Johann Tang on Nov 27, 2019 8:05:07 PM

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd change gears (pun intended) and write about what Oriental Motor is thankful for.  

First, we are thankful for our customers for being our customers and helping us grow to be a globally reputable motion control manufacturer. 

Second, we are thankful for the awards and recognition we've received over the years.  It's always good to know that we're doing a good job and these accolades definitely serve as motivation to become even better at what we do.

While we are grateful for these awards and recognition, our greatest satisfaction comes from applying our award-winning products to solve motion control challenges for our customers.

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control

Tips to Minimize Stepper Motor Vibration

Posted by Johann Tang on Sep 30, 2019 8:33:27 PM

Stepper motors vibrate.  It's what they do.  To minimize motor vibration, first we need to understand where they come from.

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Smooth Drive, Motor Sizing, VIDEOS, Gearheads

Incremental Encoder vs Absolute Encoders in Closed-loop Feedback Systems

Posted by Johann Tang on Sep 12, 2019 3:57:57 PM

The terms "absolute" and "incremental" come up frequently in the world of position control.  The exact meaning can be the type of motion done by the motor in programming terms or the type of feedback device used with the motor.  In this article, we will focus on the differences between an incremental closed-loop feedback system and an absolute closed-loop feedback system.

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

A Brief Overview of the AlphaStep Family

Posted by Johann Tang on Aug 28, 2019 2:37:43 PM

AlphaStep Logo

The word, "AlphaStep", describes Oriental Motor's patented Hybrid Control technology, which offers improved stepper motor performance by sensing the rotor position and automatically switching between open-loop and closed-loop operation when necessary.  This post explains the unique technologies offered within the AlphaStep family of products and summarizes the numerous integrated options available.  It also can serve as a website navigation guide (video added).

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear Actuators, VIDEOS, Gearheads, Software, Network

Reactive vs Preventive vs Predictive Maintenance: Why Predictive Maintenance is Better

Posted by Johann Tang on Aug 20, 2019 2:58:24 PM

Along with the advancement of industrial technology, maintenance methods of motion control components of a machine, such as motors, drives, and sensors, have also evolved.

Most of us still use the traditional "reactive" maintenancemethod in many aspects of life, such as replacing a dishwasher in your kitchen.  People don't buy a dishwasher until theirs doesn't work anymore.  Well, for factories that rely on consistent uptime for production, this wasn't the best strategy.  Realizing the need for improvement, maintenance personnel started to estimate life and replace motion control components before they failed.  This is called the "preventive" maintenancemethod, which also wasn't a perfect strategy for cost.  More recently, with the advancement of IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) technologies and real-time availability of status data, another method was made possible - the "predictive" maintenance method.

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Topics: Stepper Motors, Linear Actuators, VIDEOS, Network, Application Examples

How Easy Is It to Build a Robot?

Posted by Johann Tang on Jul 19, 2019 8:31:19 PM

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 building a robot.

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

Improving Stop Accuracy for Start/Stop Conveyors

Posted by Johann Tang on May 7, 2019 1:32:29 PM

Are you using motors for a start/stop conveyor or similar application?  While AC motors are a common choice for conveyors, there is a unique speed control motor solution available that could improve stop accuracy as well as reduce footprint and cost of machine designs.

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Topics: AC Motors, Stepper Motors, Speed Control, VIDEOS, Application Examples, Conveyors

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