Article source: LIN ENGINEERING official website
For stepper motors, design adjustments can be made in many ways, one of which is customizing the motor windings. This allows the motor's performance to reach its optimal level for specific applications.
First, let's understand the basic operating principle of a stepper motor. A stepper motor is an electromagnetic device composed of two main components: a stator and a rotor. The rotor is equipped with permanent magnets (magnets), and coils are wound on the stator. When the coils are energized, they generate a magnetic field that attracts and repels the magnets on the rotor in a regular pattern, thus starting the motor to move.
Many factors can affect the performance of a motor. For example, different wire diameters, insulation thicknesses, number of turns, and tension can all lead to differences in the final motor performance.
The windings influence the motor's rated current, the charging and discharging speed of each phase, the strength of the magnetic flux, and so on. This is why, even motors of the same length with identical stator and rotor components, can exhibit vastly different performance characteristics. The windings determine the motor's torque and its maximum achievable speed.
We know that torque curves reflect the performance of a motor. Some motors have high torque on their curves but cannot reach very high speeds; others have slightly lower torque but can reach higher speeds. Most applications have specific speed range and torque requirements. Sometimes you're lucky enough to find a motor in a "sample list" that perfectly matches your application requirements. However, the number of motors in a "sample list" is limited and cannot fully cover all the requirements in the market.
In these situations, we need to optimize motor performance. For example, you might need to increase the torque of the motor at a certain speed range; increase the speed of the motor when it reaches a certain torque value; or further reduce power loss when the motor reaches a certain torque value at a certain speed range.
One important point to note is that, like all electromagnetic devices, each motor has its own resonance point. Operating at this resonance point will result in significant noise and vibration. If the motor's operating speed range happens to be near this resonance point, then custom windings can be considered to shift the motor's resonance point away from this speed range, allowing the motor to operate smoothly at the required speed.
By designing the windings (such as changing the wire diameter, number of turns, tension, etc.), there is a good chance to solve the above problems and achieve the target requirements. Of course, these winding designs must be feasible in actual production.
For OEM projects, our engineering team can communicate directly with your engineering team to address various specific needs. We have a vast design database containing thousands of winding designs, and based on the specific performance characteristics of the requirements, we can find the most suitable winding design for the application. If a decision cannot be made immediately, we can also test a series of windings to determine the optimal solution.
Our engineering team works on-site at the factory. They can directly use equipment such as winding machines and testing instruments to create prototypes, measure various data, and determine the best winding design. This greatly accelerates the prototype production and design verification process. Without these capabilities, we would have to contact external factories for prototyping and testing, which would take days or even weeks and delay the project.
When you are designing new products or preparing to upgrade existing products, if you need a stepper motor customized for your application, please contact us. We will work directly with your engineering team to design the perfect product solution.
Mingzhi is a professional company specializing in high-precision and cost-effective motion control products. Our products include stepper and servo motors, drivers, and linear modules. Our standardized and customized products serve users and equipment manufacturers across various industries. With in-depth motor development and professional control technology, Mingzhi provides you with suitable motion control solutions.
