How do I know which stepper motor to use?

How do I know which stepper motor to use?

III. NORMAL SELECTION STEPS

1. Determining the drive mechanism component. Determine the mechanism and required specifications.
2. Calculate the required resolution. Find the resolution the motor requires.
3. Determine the operating pattern.
4. Calculate the required torque.
5. Select the motor.
6. Check the selected motor.

How do I choose a stepper?

A simple way to choose a stepper drive is to look for four things — voltage, current, microstepping, and maximum step pulse rate. Ensure that the drive can handle a wide range of current so that you can test the system at different voltage levels to fit your application.

Do stepper motors go bad?

At times, however, the bearings will go bad. Still, this is not a common problem. The bearings in most inexpensive motors are rated at 3000 hours or more, and most high-end quality motors are rated at 90,000 to 100,000 hours.

How many phases does a stepper motor have?

two phases
Usually stepper motors have two phases, but three- and five-phase motors also exist. A bipolar motor with two phases has one winding/phase and a unipolar motor has one winding, with a center tap per phase. Sometimes the unipolar stepper motor is referred to as a “four-phase motor”, even though it only has two phases.

How big of a stepper motor do I need?

Harder materials will need a more powerful stepper because the cutting bit is being driven into the material. If you intended to cut very hard materials then high torque steppers motors will be required usually around 300-400 oz/in and you may need to go up to NEMA34 and you will need a strong frame to support that.

How strong is NEMA 17?

Nema 17 Bipolar 1.8deg 65Ncm (92oz.in) 2.1A 3.36V 42x42x60mm 4 Wires. This is the strongest bipolar Nema 17 stepper motor we have, it with step angle 1.8deg and size 42x42x48mm. It has 4 wires, each phase draws 2.1A, with holding torque up to 65Ncm (92oz.in).

Why do stepper motors fail?

One of the major problems with a stepper motor is complete motor failure. This problem is caused by excessive current being sent to the device by the power supply. A short circuit in the wiring from the power supply to the motor cause this problem with the stepper motor. Some application will cause this short circuit.

How are two stepper motors on one axis different?

The torque per axis would actually be significantly smaller as one stepper would not have to drive two connected rods. If you connect the steppers in series instead of in parallel, then it may work That way you don’t need double the current, but double the voltage across the motors.

How to choose Steppers motors and controllers for DIY CNC?

So usually 3 for routers and 4 for a foam cutter Current and voltage we need to supply to the stepper motors How do we intend to connect the computer to the CNC controller CNC routers can use 3 or 4 axis controllers. There is only 3 planes of movement X, Y and Z but some designs use two stepper motors on one axis.

How many Steppers do you need for foam cutters?

Foam cutters need 4 axes to allow the hot wire to move in any direction on 4 planes usually X,Y,Z and U. So you’ve decided how many stepper motors you need and the torque rating. It’s then just a matter of matching to a suitable controller.

What should the load be on a stepper motor?

So the load on the steppers motors is virtually nothing from the hot wire if its temperature and feed rate are correct. Nearly all of the load comes from the weight of the moving parts of the machine. So NEMA17’s should be fine if your machine is not too heavy, something around 50-80 oz/in should be OK.

What happens if you mismatch the driver on a stepper?

Mismatched motors and drivers can result in disappointing performance. Or worse: damage to the motor and/or controller. Voltage – The maximum voltage that the driver can supply to the motor. Continuous Current – The maximum current that the driver can supply to the motor. “Peak” current ratings are not applicable to stepper motors.

What do you need to know about a stepper motor?

Continuous Current – The maximum current that the driver can supply to the motor. “Peak” current ratings are not applicable to stepper motors. Always go by the “continuous” current rating. You will also need to know the electrical specifications for the motor. There are 2 critical parameters:

How does the Chopper drive work on a stepper?

To keep things safe at these higher voltages, the chopper drive also monitors the current being delivered to the motor and “chops” it before it exceeds a pre-set level. By starting at a higher voltage, the chopper drive is able to deliver more current to the coils at the start of the step, increasing the available torque.

What’s the difference between voltage and continuous current on a stepper?

Voltage – The maximum voltage that the driver can supply to the motor. Continuous Current – The maximum current that the driver can supply to the motor. “Peak” current ratings are not applicable to stepper motors. Always go by the “continuous” current rating.