REVISION

Introduction to Stepper Motors

Participants can describe the characteristics of stepper motors and their

implications for applications.

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 1
REVISION

Stepper Motor
Remember - The focus of this training program is on
stepper motors!
Benefits of these motors:

 Built for start/stop sequences

 High acceleration and deceleration
 High torque out of small size
 Precise positioning

Applications for this motors:

 Handling and positioning

 Precise movements and velocity
 Nearly in all kind of industrial automation and
production
© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 2
REVISION

Introduction to Stepper Motors

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 3
REVISION

Stepper Motor

A stepper motor is an electromechanical device which converts electrical

pulses into discrete mechanical movements.
The shaft or spindle of a stepper motor rotates in discrete step increments
when electrical command pulses are applied to it in the proper sequence.
The motors rotation has several direct relationships to these applied input
pulses

The sequence of the applied pulses is directly related to the direction

of motor shafts rotation.
The speed of the motor shafts rotation is directly related to the
frequency of the input pulses
the length of rotation is directly related to the number of input pulses
applied.
© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 4
REVISION

Stepper Motor

Stepping motors principle:

The shaft rotates incrementally to follow the control pulses.

At a high frequency the stepping movement becomes a continuous rotary
movement.

By lining up the individual steps, it´s possible to position the motor to the
accuracy of one step without position feedback (open loop).

However, optimum functioning is achieved only if the drive system and the
stepping motor are matched precisely to each other.

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 5
REVISION

Stepper Motor

Benefits:

 Easy to produce / cheap construction for motor and drive (amplifier)

 Easy to control in speed and position without feedback
 Motor has full torque at standstill
 Excellent response to starting/stopping/reversing
Applications:

 Precise movements and positioning profiles

 Adjustments and settings in automation, machinery
 Handling systems, robotics
 Textile- / printing machines, paper converting
 Medical equipment

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 6
REVISION

Stepping motors principle

Features and benefits of stepping motors:

- Positioning to the accuracy of one step

- Position control without feedback (open loop control)
- High torque at low angular speed
- Detent torque in the not energised state
- High holding torque
- Simple design
- Easy commissioning
- Speed control by means of the stepping frequency
- Applicable for most PLC/PC solutions
- Attractively priced
- Versatile accessories
© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 7
REVISION

Stepper Motor
The stepper motor is a variation of the DC motor.
 
The stator of the stepper motor consists of many
separate windings called poles arranged on “teeth”
which are equally spaced around the body of the motor.
 
The rotor of the stepper motor is a permanent magnet.
stator poles

N rotor
WATCH
S REVISION
VIDEO

The rotor in a stepper motor can line up with any of the stator poles.
© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 8
 Stepper Motor

There are three types of stepper motors:

 Variable-reluctance (VR) motor

 Permanent magnet (PM) motor

 Hybrid motor

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 9
 Types of Stepper Motor – Variable Reluctance (VR) Motor

The VR motor has been around for a long time. VR motors comprise two
main parts, the rotor and stator.

The rotor and stator are free of magnetic charge when the motor is not
being used. This enables the motor to be “free-wheeled”, which is a term
that describes its ability to be spun with no resistance other than friction
from bearings.

Free-wheeling is only possible with VR Stepper motors.

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 10
 Variable-reluctance (VR) Motor
Principle

VR_Stepper_Motor_Angle_Calculation.swf

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 11
 Types of Stepper Motor – Permanent Magnet (PM) Motor

Permanent magnet stepper motors are also

comprised of a rotor and stator but the rotors in
these motors carry a permanent magnetic charge.
These motors cannot be free-wheeled due to the
motor’s magnetic charge.

Another distinguishing characteristic of PM motors is

their rotor. The rotor of the PM motor has no teeth
unlike the other stepper motors.

The permanent magnet field that the rotor contains

eliminates the need for teeth.

Compared to a VR motor of the same size, a PM

motor produces much more torque during rotation.
© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 12
 Types of Stepper Motor – Hybrid Motor
A hybrid stepping motor has characteristics of both
PM and VR motors.

In a hybrid motor the rotor is a permanent magnet

but it has blades like VR motors. The result is a
motor that has very high torque and very small,
precise step increments.

The hybrid stepper motors achieves its small

incremental steps using misaligned teeth on the
rotor and stator. Since the teeth are misaligned,
when the poles are energized the rotor makes small
steps.

In contrast, if the poles and teeth were aligned

perfectly,
© Festo Didactic - Trainingwhen poles
and Consulting Drivesare energized
Competency Training the rotor would Motors Slide 13
 Types of Stepper Motor – Hybrid Motor

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 14
 Phases of a Stepper Motor

Stator sheet metal

2-phase stepper
motor

Stator sheet metal

3-phase stepper
motor

Stator sheet metal

5-phase stepper
motor
© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 15
 2-phase Hybrid Stepper Motor

Option: 24 DC dead stop brake

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 16
 Functionality of 2 phase stepper motor
Stator section unrolled Resolution determined by number of
steps per 360 °

50 rotor poles x 2 rotors ( N/S always

followed by ½ tooth offset) x 2 pole pairs
etc.
----------------------------------------------------------
-
Rotor section unrolled 200 steps per revolution
 1 full step = 360°/200 = 1.8 °

2 phase stepper has 50 rotor poles on

disk so 100 poles on one pair of tooth
offset.
The stator has 8 pole shoes (2 pole pairs)
with 6 poles each so 48 poles.

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 17
 3-phase Stepper Motors

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 18
 5-phase Stepper Motors

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 19
 The Basic Principle of Modern Stepper Motor Drivers
Stepper motors use open loop position control.

What’s inside the motor

controller?
AC Power Motor
Power supply Motor Load
controller

General Controller
Sensor
(Programmable)
PLC

May use external static sensors to initiate referencing, stopping and over travel limits.

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 20
 Stepping in Stepper Motor

Stepper motors come in a wide variety of angular resolution. The coarsest

motors typically turn 90 degrees per step, while high resolution permanent
magnet motors are commonly able to handle 1.8 or even 0.72 degrees per
step.

 Common step resolutions for 2-phase stepper motors are 200 and 400
steps, and for 5-phase step motors 500 and 1000 steps.

 Virtual steps can be created (electronically) between the natural steps by

using a special amplifier called “micro-stepping” drivers. Microstepping
drives can achieve apparent resolutions of up to 10,000 steps per
revolution.
© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 21
 Full step
When firing a stepping motor in full-step mode then the rotor is moved from a
stop position to the next full-step once. After cutting off the power supply the
motor stays in that position retained by its strong holding moment.
Half step
When operated in half-step mode, the rotor of the stepping motor passes half
the way between two stop positions. In this way, the resolution is increased
and the movement gets smoother over the entire speed range. After cutting
off the power supply the motor continues rotating until reaching at the next
0

stop position. 0

Micro step / Mini step

A micro step driver moves the rotor of the motor by a defined angle between
two stop positions. Micro-step and mini-step modes are used to improve
resolution, to avoid resonance effects, and because of their better smooth
running ability, are applied over the whole speed range. After cutting off the
power supply, the motor continues rotating as well.
© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 22
 Technical Data

important terms
important terms

important terms

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 23
 Behaviour of 2-phase Stepper Motor

Torque decreasing in non full step condition:

Estimation:
200 step/revolution = full step 1.8° = 100 %
400 step/revolution = half step 0.9° = 90 %
800 step/revolution = quarter step 0.45° = 80-85 %

Note:
This could be important for a current still standing condition somewhere between two
full steps (during running more or less irrelevant).

Remanent force in case of shut off current: ~ 10%

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 24
 Torque-speed Characteristics Curve – 2-phase Stepper
Motor
For all stepper motors, the operating torque decreases with higher stepping
frequencies.

The operating range is divided into a “start” region and an “acceleration” region. Within
the “start” region the motor can track any frequency change instantaneously without
losing steps (stalling). This is a limitation of the Step Torque which is determined by the
maximum phase current, and the inertia of the rotor.

© Festo Didactic - Training and Consulting Drives Competency Training Motors Slide 25