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. In this post, we will explain how to properly grip a load while preventing damage.
Topics: Stepper Motors, Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, VIDEOS, Application Examples
AC motors have the same operating theory, but by changing its design a little, you can modify its characteristics to suit certain applications better. In the last post, I focused on AC induction motors for unidirectional applications. In this post, I will explain what makes AC reversible motors and AC electromagnetic brake motors ideal for start/stop, reversing, or vertical applications, and demonstrate how to operate them.
AC motors are simple to control, rugged, and cost effective for general purpose applications. These reasons are why they are the most popular type of electric motor across various industries. In this post, we will briefly introduce induction motors and demonstrate how to operate these motors.
Do you know how to use this graph?
Topics: VIDEOS, Cooling Fans
Stepper motors vibrate. It's what they do.
Topics: Stepper Motors, Smooth Drive, Motor Sizing, VIDEOS, Gearheads
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.
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 sensing the rotor position and automatically switching between open-loop and closed-loop operation when necessary. First introduced in 1998 as the AS Series, the 
ushered in a new age where stepper motors can emulate servo performance at a lower cost. Over the years, we improved the AlphaStep Hybrid Control technology with 2 major advancements to close the gap between stepper motors and servo motors even 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.
Topics: Stepper Motors, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, VIDEOS, Gearheads, Software, Network
Along with the advancement of industrial technology, the method of maintaining motion control components of a machine, such as motors, drives, and sensors, has also evolved. The most common method of maintaining a machine after a failure has occurred was the traditional method. Realizing the need for improvement, maintenance personnel started to estimate life and replace motion control components before they fail. More recently, with the advancement of IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and real-time availability of status data, another method was born. While the two newer methods have the same goal in eliminating machine downtime, only one does it efficiently.
Topics: Stepper Motors, Linear & Rotary Actuators, VIDEOS, Network, Application Examples
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.
Topics: Stepper Motors, Robotics, Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, Motor Sizing, VIDEOS, Gearheads, Software, Application Examples
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.
Topics: Absolute Positioning, Alphastep Hybrid Control, Linear & Rotary Actuators, VIDEOS, Vertical Lifts, Application Examples