TOPICS CALENDAR BUYER'S GUIDE AGMA

Step Motors

FEATURE ARTICLES | 2025-09-22

Six Motor Types for Automation Applications

Motor solutions are the lifeblood of many applications, powering the precise movements and operations that keep automated systems running smoothly. While each system presents unique demands, the wide variety of motor types available ensures there is an option suitable for each specific need. It is vital to understand the pitfalls of choosing an inappropriate motor, given the countless motor types, brands and sizes.

PRODUCT NEWS | 2025-04-28

OES Releases Dual-Axis Yaw Pitch Stages

OES (Optimal Engineering Systems, Inc.) has released the new YP200-30 Series of Dual-axis, Yaw-Pitch Stages. This series of Yaw-Pitch Stages features a high precision rotary stage (Yaw-axis) capable of clockwise and counterclockwise rotation and a high precision goniometer with +/- 30 degrees of travel.

EVENT | 2025-04-17

EASA 2025 Convention

The 2025 EASA Convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville focuses on companies involved in the service and sale of electric motors, pumps, drives, controls, gearboxes and other rotating machinery.

PRODUCT NEWS | 2024-07-25

OES Adds to Goniometer Stages Lineup

Measure angles or move to a precise angular position with a new series of high precision, low cost XYHG Multi-axis Stages that can be easily integrated into new and existing applications from OES (Optimal Engineering Systems).

REVOLUTIONS | 2022-01-31

Gearmotors: The Art of Precision and Reliability

High performance, high precision and component compatibility top the list of gearmotor trends in our product-roundup for 2022. These products can b...

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2021-12-01

Open Loop Step Motor Error Sources - What Closing the Loop Corrects

A look at several Two-Phase Hybrid Step Motors and their dominant error sources, and comment on how the errors are overcome by true servo operation of these motors.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2020-08-01

Closing the Loop around a Transverse Flux Hybrid Step Motor

Transverse magnetic flux motors -- also known as step motors -- become Hybrid Servos when you operate them closed loop. This is the same transformation that happens between running a 3-phase synchronous motor from line voltage as opposed to running it closed loop as a brushless servo. In the case of hybrid motors, there are many degrees of what is advertised as "closed loop," and thus significant differences in the performance improvements seen.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2020-06-01

Transverse Magnet Flux AKA Hybrid Step Motor Driver Techniques

The transverse flux permanent magnet motor -- also known as a hybrid step motor or hybrid servo motor -- has a wide range of performances, depending upon how you drive these motors, and whether you operate them in open loop or one of the many variants of closed loop methods you use. In this third installment we will cover some of the many ways to drive these motors, as well as how these choices affect the performance of these motors.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2020-03-01

Hybrid Transverse Magnetic Flux Motors - AKA Stepper Motors and Hybrid Servos

This is the first of a series of articles on permanent magnet transverse magnetic flux motors - AKA step motors. These articles will be covering the development history and the various drive technologies used with these motors - both open and closed loop.

FEATURE ARTICLES | 2019-10-01

Motors without Rare-Earth Magnets: What Are the Options

Lower-cost motor technologies exist that can be an attractive alternative to neo-based BL PM motors - and are not subject to unpredictable supply chains

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2018-10-01

Step vs. Servo - Selecting the Best

Over the many years, there have been many technical papers and articles about which motor is the best. The short and sweet answer is - let's talk about the application. More recently a number of papers and articles have appeared that compared each motor's advantages and disadvantages in generic or specific terms. Many times, the methods used to drive and control these motors are not completely described due to the many control schemes available for use. A few articles focus on just the open loop step motor and the closed loop servo motor advantages and disadvantages in a laundry list format. This article is attempting to "drill down" into the reasons why and to describe how it is done.

FEATURE ARTICLES | 2015-06-01

Stepper Motor Actuators

How would you compare the efficiency and capabilities of hybrid stepper motor actuators vs. can stack stepper motor actuators?

FEATURE ARTICLES | 2015-04-01

Servo Motor Performance at Stepper Motor Prices

Enhancing production with — and for — less is the standing order in today’s manufacturing world. Speeding up production while at the same time looking for ways, to cut, for example, energy costs, is a tricky equation with no single answer; where and how management goes about achieving that can take several paths.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2014-04-01

The Step Motor

Step motors come in many sizes and shapes. But they all share one item in common - each step motor type moves in discrete-degree steps. They react to a series of voltage pulses supplied by their basic controller, known as an "indexer." The step motor was the first to accept digital pulses, then move or rotate a prescribed amount without any feedback device. All step motors are position devices without the need to use any feedback devices. They operate primarily in an open-loop control scheme.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2011-10-01

Step Motor Lower-Loss Technology - an Update

The demand for stepping motors with high efficiency and low losses has been increasing right along with the existing focus on high torque. The selection of the most suitable grade and improvement in the fastening of the laminated cores has reduced losses significantly at their peak when compared to conventional stepping motors.