Stepping Motor products are a type of digital device. Digital information is processed through the Stepping Motor products to execute an end result, normally, controlled motion.One may assume that Stepping Motor products will dependably comply with digital instructions just as a computer is expected to. This is the distinct feature for Stepper motors.

Stepping Motor products are electrical motors, but are not driven by a regularly applied voltage, they are really driven by digital pulses. Inherent in this concept is open-loop control, where a train of pulses translates into so many shaft revolutions, with each revolution requiring a given number of pulses. Each pulse equates to one rotary increment, or step (hence, Stepper motors), which is merely a portion of one complete rotation.

Therefore, counting pulses can be employed in Stepping Motor products to accomplish a ideal amount of shaft rotation. The count instantly represents how much movement has been achieved, without the demand for feedback information, Incidentally, this is the same idea that is applied to servo systems.

Stepping Motor products are now appearing as the desired technology for motion control in more and more areas while they have been overshadowed by servo devices within the work area. The major aspect in this trend in the direction of Stepping Motor products is the epidemic of digital control, and the beginning of the microprocessor.

Today, we have many Stepping Motor products applications everywhere. Stepping Motor products are used in printers( paper feed, print wheel), photo-typesetting, X-Y plotters, clocks and watches, factory automation, disk drives, aircraft controls, and many other applications. The digital technology in Stepping Motor products is continuing to expand creating more applications in which it will be applied; thanks to researchers and their innovations.

Because Stepping Motor products fluctuate in the way they perform and the way they are constructed, they are broken down into three basic types. Each of these variations of Stepping Motor products offers an answer to an application in a different way. The three standard types of Stepping Motor products consist of the Variable Reluctance, Permanent Magnet, and Hybrid.

Variable Reluctance (VR) Stepping Motor products:
The first of the Stepping Motor products is known for having a wound stator and soft iron multiple rotor; they are the Variable Reluctance Stepping Motor products. The Variable Reluctance Stepping Motor products hold no detent torque. They normally operate in step angles from 5 to 15 degrees at relatively high step rates. In Figure 5, while phase A is energized, four rotor teeth line up along with the four stator teeth of phase A by magnetic attraction. The next step is taken when A is turned off and phase B is energized, spinning the rotor clockwise 15°; Continuing the chain, C is turned on next and then A again. Counter clockwise rotation is achieved when the phase order is reversed.

Permanent Magnet (PM) Stepping Motor products:
The second type of Stepping Motor products are the Permanent Magnet Stepper motors.These Stepping Motor products are unique of the other two considering they have permanent magnet rotors with no teeth; the rotors are magnetized perpendicular to the axis. When the four phases are energized in sequence, the rotor revolves as it is attracted to the magnetic poles. The motor should take 90 degree steps as the windings are energized in sequence "ABCD", as shown in Figure 6. The characteristics of Permanent Magnet Stepping Motor products includes step angles of 45-90 degrees, high torque, and excellent damping characteristics; but they usually step at relatively low rates.

Hybrid Stepping Motor products:
Finally, to finish the set, Hybrid Stepping Motor products have qualities of the permanent magnet and variable reluctance Stepping Motor products merged. Here are some likable features of Hybrid Stepping Motor products that are from each: These Stepping Motor products have an excellent holding and dynamic torque, a high detent torque, and they are able to operate in high Stepper speeds. Step angles of 0.9 to 5.0 degrees are typically seen in Hybrid Stepping Motor products. To ensure that a single power supply to be used to power the motor, Bi-filar windings are supplied to these Stepping Motor products. The rotor should rotate in increments of 1.8 degrees if the phases are energized one at a time in the order they are indicated at. These Stepping Motor products could be driven in two phases at a time to yield more torque. Hybrid Stepping Motor products can also be driven by one then two then one phase to make half steps of 0.9 degree increments.

There are three excitation modes that are commonly used with Stepping Motor products. The Stepping Motor modes are the full-step, half-step and micro-step.

Stepping Motor - Full-Step:
In complete step operation, Stepping Motor products step through the normal step angle e.g. 200 step/revolution motors take 1.8 steps while in half step operation, 0.9 steps are taken. Within full-step, two varieties of modes exist: Single phase full-step excitation is the time when Stepping Motor products are operated with only one phase energized at-a-time. This mode ought to only be used where the motor is operated with load conditions that are well defined and at a fixed rate, for instance where torque and speed performance is not crucial. Problems with resonance can stop operation at some speeds. This mode does not require near as much power from the drive power supply as any of the other excitation modes. Dual phase full-step excitation is where the Stepping Motor products are controlled with two phases energized at one time. This mode offers good torque and speed performance with a the bare minimum of resonance problems. Dual excitation requires double the power from the drive power supply, but provides about 30-40% extra torque than single excitation.

Stepping Motor - Half-Step:
Stepping Motor products can include half-step excitation which is varied single and dual phase operationoccuring in steps one half the normal step size. This mode provides twice the resolution. Although the motor torque output varies on alternate steps, this is more than offset by the need to step through merely half the angle. Because it offers almost complete freedom from resonance issues, this mode is among the most used by Anaheim Automation and its clients. Stepping Motor products are usually operated over a wide range of speeds and also used to drive almost any load commonly experienced.

Stepping Motor - Micro-Step:
The Micro-Step mode gets its steps by dividing the natural angle of the Stepping Motor products directly into smaller angles. For example, a standard 1.8 degree motor has 200 steps per revolution. If perhaps the motor is micro-stepped with a 'divide-by-10', then each micro-step would push the motor 0.18 degrees and at this time there would be 2,000 steps/revolution. For a 1.8° motor, in case there are 51,200 steps per revolution, then micro-step modes can range from being divided by 10 to being divided by 256. The micro-steps are produced by proportioning the current within the two windings relating to sine and cosine functions. When more resolution or smoother motion demands are needed, this mode can provide the resolution.

Stepping Motor products are usually controlled by way of a driver and indexer. The amount of speed, and direction of turn of Stepping Motor products are determined by the right configuration involving digital control devices. The primary varieties of control devices for Stepping Motor products are: Stepping Motor Drivers, Stepping Motor Control Links, and Stepping Motor Controllers. Figure 8 exhibits how these devices are set up. To help interpret feedback, the Stepper Driver attached to Stepping Motor products accepts the direction signals plus the clock pulse signals and translates them to phase currents. The Stepper Indexer can make the clock pulses and the direction signals for the Stepping Motor products. The computer or PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) sends out directions to the indexer.

Anaheim Automation gives you various choices to customize Stepper Motors. Such alterations are obtainable for: shaft, brake, oil seal for an IP65 rating, mounting dimensions, speed, torque, and voltage. It is recommended to give Anaheim Automation a call at 1-714-992-6990, for all custom applications using Stepper Motors.

Common Causes for Stepping Motor and/or Stepper Driver Failure
NOTE: Make sure to read the specification sheet/user's guide that comes with each product

Problem: Intermittent or erratic stepper motor or drivers function.
Solution: This is the most common cause of failure and one of the most difficult to identify. Start by checking to make sure that all connections are tight between stepper motors and drivers. Evidence like discoloration at the terminals/connections, may indicate a loose connection. While replacing a stepper motor, driver or Driver Pack in a motion control system, be sure to inspect all terminal blocks and connectors. Check cabling/wiring for consistency. Stress stepper motor wiring and connections for worse problems and check with an ohmmeter.

Problem: Stepper motor wires were disconnected while the driver was powered up.
Solution: Stay away from performing any service to the stepper motors or drivers if the power is on, especially in regard to motor connections. This precaution is essential for both the driver, in addition to the technician/installer.

Problem: Poor system performance.
Solution: The wire/cables could possibly be too long. (The length of the wires or cables to the stepper motors should be a maximum of 25 feet long.) For applications when the wiring from the stepper motors to the stepper drivers exceeds 25 feet, please contact the factory for instructions, as it's quite possible that transient voltage protection devices are going to be required. Another likelihood is that the stepper motor lead wires are of a gauge that is too small. It's best not to match your cable wires to the gauge size of the stepper motor lead wires. Anaheim Automation advises using a shielded cable for such wiring (purchased separately). Furthermore, check the age of your stepper motor, as with time and use, stepper motors lose some of their magnetism which impacts performance. Typically one can expect 10,000 operating hours for stepper motors (around 4.8 years, running one eight-hour shift for each work day). Also, make certain that your stepper motor and driver pairing is a beneficial match for your application. Contact the factory, should you have any concerns.

Problem: The stepper motor has a shorted winding or a short to the motor case.
Solution: It is likely that you have a defective stepper motor. Do not attempt to repair motors. Opening the stepper motor case could possibly de-magnetize the motor, causing poor performance. Opening of the stepper motor case will in addition void your warranty. Preferably, use an ohmmeter to test the motor windings. As a rule of thumb, if the stepper motor is a frame size of NEMA 08, 11, 14, 15, 17, 23, or 34 and the warranty period has expired, it is not cost-effective to return these stepper motors for service. Call the factory if you suspect a defective stepper motor that is still under warranty, or if it is a NEMA size 42 or a K-series motor.

Problem: The stepper motor driver or Driver Pack is over-heating.
Solution: Venting and cooling accommodations are essential - The user risks negative performance and a reduced life of the driver if they do not supply enough airflow to the stepper motor when it is running. Maintain driver temperatures below 60 degrees Celsius. To not go over the maximum temperature rating of the stepper motors, drivers or controllers, maintain good air flow by employing fans, base plates, and heat sink material. Be mindful of temperatures inside cabinets and enclosures where stepper drivers may be mounted.

Problem: Environmental factors are less than ideal.
Solution: Environmental factors, such as welding, chemical vapors, moisture, humidity, dust, etc., may damage both the electronics and the stepper motors. Shield drivers, controllers and stepper motors from conditions that are corrosive, contain voltage spikes, orprevent good ventilation. Anaheim Automation offers products in several line voltage ranges. A line filter/regulator will probably be essential for AC lines that contain voltage spikes.

Problem: Pulse rates (Clock or Step) to the driver are too high.
Solution: The standard half-step driver can drive stepper motors at a optimum rate of 20,000 pulse per second. Pulse rates of above 60,000 pulses per second can damage the driver. View individual specification sheets for the motor and driver combination for best performance.

Problem: The stepper motor is stalling.
Solution: Watch for motors that stall, as it has the capability to damage the phase transistors on the driverby large voltage spikes. Some drivers are designed to protect itself from such an event. If not, Transient Suppression Devices can be integrated externally. Refer to the factory for further information.

Problem: The stepper motor is back-driving the driver.
Solution: Any stepper motor that is being turned using a load creates a back EMF current on the driver. Greater speeds will produce higher voltage levels. If the rotational speed becomes very high, this voltage might cause damage to the driver. This is especially dangerous when the motor is back-driven while the driver is on. Put a mechanical stop or brake in applications that might be subject to these phenomena.

General Safety Considerations for Stepping Motor Applications

These safety considerations needs to be observed during all phases of operation, service and repair. Failure to comply with these precautions violates safety standards of design, manufacture, and designated use of a Unipolar Stepping Motor, drivers and controllers. Anaheim Automation, Inc. takes on no responsibility for the customer's inability to comply with thesedemands. Even well built products, operated or installed inaccurately, can be hazardous. Safety precautions must be observed by the user with regard to the load and operating environment. The customer is responsible for correct selection, installation and operation of the products ordered from Anaheim Automation, Inc.

• Use care when handling, testing, and adjusting during installation, set-up and operation
• Service should not be performed with power applied
• Be sure that the motor/driver has enough heat dissipation and air flow
• To hault unauthorized human contact with live circuitry, it's best to properly enclose or guard all uncovered circuitry
• All products should be firmly mounted and sufficiently grounded
• Elements such as flammable gases, vapors, liquids or dust should not interact with motors in operation

NOTE: Please Use a RMA Form should you need to return a product for REPAIR. This form can be found in Support, Forms, RMA Request on this web site.

Time is the centralized theme at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History in Albuquerque. At one point, the museum wanted to convey the idea that traveling through the exhibit is as if one is traveling through time. The museum depicted the conditions of New Mexico during the time periods of the Cretaceous period (75 million years ago) and the Tertiary period (37 million years ago), and how the area has evolved since. However, the museum did so with less than a satisfactory effect on the visitor. The idea they constructed to improve this was known as the "Evolator."

Derived from a combination of the words EVOLutionary and elevATOR, the evolator was an elevator-like vehicle that allowed visitors to be transported through time as evolution took place. It was designed by Art & Technology, Inc., in California, and is located between two exhibit areas in the museum. Allowing up to twenty people to enter from one exhibit into one door, experience time travel, and exit out the second door into another exhibit, it allows the passengers to experience 30 million years of time travel in six minutes.

During time travel, the guests can view the "outside world" via TV screens, and see the two ports and the evolator traveling through rock strata on both sides of them. They can feel the vehicle moving throughout the tour, as it stops frequently throughout the trip for the computer to evaluate the rocks that are visible through the ports.

In order to create the full time travel illusion, five laser disks, special lighting, a sound system, a hydraulic system for rocking the evolator floor and two silicon belts are needed. The 18 foot long silicon belts run as long continuous loops at a high speed during evolator movement, and slow to a stop as the evolator stops. In order for the operation to appear realistic, the belts have to operate in synchronism, a condition that is met by means of using large stepping motors.

Due to the fact that the belts are very heavy, Anaheim Automation needed to develop a high- performance stepping motor Driver Pack (known as DPK Series) for the job. A computer was selected to coordinate the stepping motor, driver and controller system that makes the evolator work. The computer provides the DPK with clock and direction signals that trigger the stepping motor Driver Pack to operate the stepping motors, according to the required movements of the silicon belts. Time travel visitors were as thrilled with the success of the Evolator as were!

Employees were hired at a local packaging plant, for the sole purpose of making sure bottles were packaged with their labels facing outward in their packages. They were employed to manually adjust the positioning of the bottles and send them to the blister pack machine. Anaheim Automation helped expedite that process using stepping motor and drivers. With the new automated design, bottles were sensed with a photo-electric sensor that stops the belt and notifies the pulse generator in an Anaheim Automation Driver Pack. The stepping motor Driver Pack controls a stepping motor, which rotates the bottle by turning a rubber drive wheel. An orientation indicator is placed on the bottle that, when sensed, prompts the pulse generator and activates a discharge solenoid, which then places the bottle into the awaiting package. The packaged bottle then allows the photo sensor to trigger the next bottle to come into position to repeat the process. Implementing this process using a stepping motor Driver Pack resulted in quicker packaging with viewable bottles, at a considerably lower cost! Both the customer and its intended end-users were quite pleased with this development.

Have you wondered why Anaheim Automation carries the most stock in the eight-lead stepping motor configuration than the six or four lead configurations? An eight-lead stepping motor is wound like a unipolar stepping motor, but the difference is that the leads are not connected (joined) to the common internally to the motor. The flexibility of the eight-lead stepping motor is in that it can be configured in several different ways:
• Unipolar
• Bipolar with single winding per phase, which will run the stepping motor on half of the windings available, reducing the available low speed torque, but requires less current to operate.
• Bipolar with SERIES windings, which provides higher inductance, but lower current per winding
• Bipolar with PARALLEL windings, which requires a higher current, but outperforms because the winding inductance is reduced.

The many configurations of the eight-lead stepping motor make it a logical choice for Anaheim Automation to stock, as it is cost-effective to manufacture and serves a wide range of customers and stepping motor applications.

One of the best, most flexible, computer-controlled positioning systems is one in which the stepping motor is integrated. Having more simple and hardy characteristics compared to a closed-loop servo system, stepping motor and driver systems are digitally controlled, and are a crucial element in the less costly open-loop system.

Industrial applications for the stepping motor are in high-speed pick-and-place equipment and multi-axis CNC machines frequently drive lead screws or ballscrews directly. Usually, a stepping motor is often used in precision positioning in the fields of lasers and optics, often being used in linear actuators, linear stages, goniometers, mirror mounts, and rotation stages. The stepping motor is also used for positioning valve pilot stages for fluid control systems, and in packaging machinery.

Traditionally, the stepping motor has been used commercially in floppy disk drives, and continues to be used for flatbed scanners, computer printers, plotters, slot machines, and a myriad of other devices. A stepping motor can be used to generate power as well, often designed in wind turbines and solar positioning systems.

Usually, stepping motor nameplates only indicate the winding current, and on some occasions, the voltage and wind resistance. The rated voltage of a stepping motor will generate the rated winding current at DC, but this information proves futile; the stepping motor driver voltages surpass the stepping motor rated voltage. The current and the low speed torque of a stepping motor have a direct relationship and need to be considered for optimal systems performance. The winding inductance and drive circuitry, especially the driving voltage, determines how rapid the stepping motor torque falls off at quicker speeds.

The published torque curve should be used to determine how the stepping motor should be sized. This is noted by the manufacturer at certain drive voltages, and/or using their own driver circuitry. The two should be carefully chosen due to the fact that here is no guarantee for how adequate the performance will be given different driver circuitry.

Electric motors are typically classified by motor type, i.e. Alternating Current (AC) versus Direct Current (DC). This distinction is not always so rigid, in that many classic DC motors run on AC power. This type of electric motor is referred to as universal motors.

Some industries used the rated output power specification of the motor to categorize motor types. For example, those motor of less than 746 Watts are often referred to as fractional horsepower (FHP). In more recent years, the trend toward electronic control further muddles the electric motor distinctions, as modern motor drivers and controllers have moved the commutator out of the motor casing. For this newer type of motors, driver and controller circuits are relied upon to generate sinusoidal AC drive currents. Examples of such are: the Blushless DC Motor (BLDC) and the Stepping Motor, both being poly-phase AC motors requiring external electronic control. Although historically, stepping motors (such as for maritime and naval gyrocompass repeaters) were driven from DC switched by contacts.

Considering all rotating (or linear) electric motors require synchronism between a moving magnetic field and a moving current sheet for average torque production, there is a clearer distinction between an asynchronous and synchronous types. An asynchronous motor requires slip between the moving magnetic field and a winding set to induce current in the winding set by mutual inductance; the most ubiquitous example being the common AC Induction Motor which must slip to generate torque. In the synchronous types, induction (or slip) is not a requisite for magnetic field or current production. See the chart below to help determine if a stepping motor, Brush or BLDC motor, AC or Servo is the correct motor choice for your application.

The stepping motor is a component used in functions pertaining to open loop positioning and velocity. Ultimately, the system's accuracy depends on the stepping motor and the drive's precision and behavior, because there is not feed-back transducer.

Microstepping, precision sine/cosine current references, and second order damping have allowed the stepping motor to become the ideal candidate for applications dealing with precision control. Disregarding the drive, the stepping motor has distinct qualities that must be considered in regard s to accuracy in any application.

A stepping motor is assembled to a certain tolerance. Usually, a standard stepping motor has a tolerance of +/- 3% non accumulative error regarding any step's location. In other words, on a typical 200 step per revolution stepping motor, teach step will be within 0.18-degree error range. The stepping motor can essentially resolve 2000 radial locations, accurately. Incidentally, this is the 10 microstep drive's resolution.

Beyond the resolution of 10, i.e. 125, there is no real additional accuracy (there may be more smoothness, but no increase in accuracy). Similarly, a voltmeter that displays 6 digits while having 1% accuracy only contains significant information in the first two digits. Two exceptions allow for higher resolutions: a stepping motor that runs in a closed-loop application with a high-resolution encoder, or an application that needs to operate smoothly at extremely low speeds (fewer than 5 full steps per second).

Motor linearity is another factor that affects accuracy. Motor linearity is how the stepping motor operates between step locations. For every step pulse sent to a 10 microstep drive, a typical 1.8 per step motor should move precisely 0.18 degrees. Every stepping motor does face non-linearity; microsteps refuse to evenly spread themselves over a full step, and instead bunch together. Typically two effects may occur: deceleration where the microsteps bunch up and cyclic acceleration where the microsteps spread apart cause dynamically low speed resonances. Statically, the stepping motor position is not optimum.

Along with the stepping motor, Anaheim Automation carries a comprehensive line of drivers and controllers, power supplies, gear motors, gearboxes, stepping motor linear actuators and integrated stepping motor/driver packages. Additionally, Anaheim Automation offers encoders, brakes, HMI couplings, cables and connectors, linear guides and X-Y tables. If the stepping motor is not ideal for your application, you might consider brushless DC, brush DC, servo, or AC motors, and their compatible drivers/controllers.

• Cost-effective
• Simple designs
• High reliability
• Brushless construction
• Maintenance-free
• If windings are energized at standstill, the motor has full torque
• No feedback mechanisms required
• High acceleration and power rate
• A wide range of rotational speeds can be attained as the speed is proportional to the frequency of the input pulse
• Known limit to the dynamic position error

Stepper motor products vary in cost based on the criteria for each application. Some criteria include options of 0.9°, 1.8°, 3.6° and 4.5° step angles, torque ranging from 1 to 5,700 oz-in, and NEMA frame sizes of 08 to 42. Additional attachments such as cables and encoders can be purchased separately for an additional cost. With our friendly customer service and professional application assistance, Anaheim Automation often surpasses customer expectations for fulfilling specific stepping motor and driver requirements, as well as other motion control needs.

One of Anaheim Automation Inc.'s customers provides services and products for the automobile industry, such as process automation, prototyping, engine test standards, and gauging equipment. At one point, our customer encountered a problem; popular cars were being redesigned, and they needed computer control of a stepping motor for their project. They had tried several other motion control manufacturers before deciding to have Anaheim Automation help them with their project. The project dealt with the cooling of an engine in a strange area. Anaheim Automation's assignment was to construct a prototype that would scoop air from beneath the car and redirect maximum air flow to this area.

It was almost impossible to predict an accurate shape that would allow precise airflow, due to the fact that in order to fit in the available space, the duct had to be in an extremely complex configuration. The solution to this problem involved making a flexible duct that, by moving its parts, allowed it to be reshaped. The duct would be mounted in a wind tunnel, and installed in the prototype of the car. Next, engineers experimented with the duct's shape until they discovered what shape allowed for the best air flow. This shape became the basic model to construct in the overall prototype.

Anaheim Automation needed to shape the duct without diverting from the project goal, and therefore needed 15 axes of motion and one easy-to-use controller. To meet this necessity, Anaheim Automation assembled five triple-axis stepping motor drivers, programmable indexers, an interface, and the necessary power supply into a compact package, along with 15 compatible stepping motor models.

When the computer was turned on, the program came up, so the system didn't require any knowledge of the computer operation. In addition, it reduced operation to simply answering three questions (prompting the user). The user could change the speed at any time; however, the operator did not need to know anything about base speed, acceleration, or deceleration, because the parameters for optimal motor speed was preloaded with the system program. While operating, the program prompted the operator with, "What axis, how many steps, and which direction?" The user only needed to press the F1 function key to produce the desired motion for the stepping motor to move.

With the experiment in full swing, engineers were able to manipulate the air duct in order to achieve maximum air flow underneath the vehicle. The required motion was easily produced at the press of a button, and the positions could be easily repeated. Ultimately, our customer's engineering staff was able to determine the exact shape of the duct that provided the car with maximum air flow. Simple, low-cost, and extremely efficient stepping motor products, and drivers provided the solution the customer required.

Automation and Material Handling specialists create products for a broad range of businesses, including automotive, pharmaceutical, packaging and electronics companies. Anaheim Automation, Inc. has been a supplier to these companies for over 40 years. When it comes to automating equipment, machinery and processes, some methods are efficient, while others are not. Anaheim Automation has an outstanding record for choosing sensible methods and cost-effective designs, but when we recommend multi-axis stepping motor Driver Packs and boards for moderately straightforward machines, they maximize their cost effectiveness even further.

For single-axis applications that are redundant and require accurate positioning, the economical DPD72451 Preset Indexer Driver Pack is ideal, and has been a long-time favorite. Each compact stepping motor Driver Pack contains a preset indexer, a bi-level stepping motor driver, a power supply, and a cooling fan. The preset indexer has such abilities as Home, Hard and Soft Limit inputs, two Homing modes, Jog/Run, Fast Jog, and switch selectable Base Speed, Maximum Seed, and Acceleration/Deceleration. The DPF72452 Stepping Motor Driver Pack offers the same performance for two axes. It is a larger unit with twice the capacity.

The companion Quad Board is consists of four banks of digital pots mounted on a PC board, along with the supplementary circuitry. According to what the user desires, the board has the capacity to "dial in" up to four different move lengths. Anaheim Automation simplifies installation by offering the Quad Board connected to and mounted on the stepping motor Driver Pack.

A classic example of this inventive production is a machine that rivets stiffeners on the edge of up to 800 circuit boards per hour. In this practical application, wherein stepping motor products are used, Anaheim Automation, Inc. helped a machinery manufacturer build equipment for a telephone company. This particular machine had the requirement of automatically installing stiffeners along the edge of circuit boards. A stiffener is added from a magazine, to each board that is positioned on a linear table. The stepping motor, operated by the Driver Pack, positions a table so the rivets can be inserted through the stiffener and the board in three different areas: a distance of 1-1/2 in. from the first hole, 4-1/2 in. to the second hole, and 4-1/2 in. to the third hole, and return to home. The Quad Board settings were used in order to keep two additional settings available to handle any prospective complex arrangements. Despite how simple the machine was, it was also capable of extraordinary tasks; one example being its ability to turn out 800 boards in one hour.

Anaheim Automation used the same idea for other, very different machines. In the case of a pharmaceutical company; they used a flutter valve maker. For this machine, a roll of vinyl was advanced to a dimension, heat sealed, and cut along the seal. Each of the two rolls provide two valve sizes. In this case, the stepping motor controlled a drive-roller against a pinch roller, and the Quad Board settings controlled the length of the material. This left two settings for further expansion.

Just like our other machines, efficiency coincides with simplicity. In this example, we can turn out 15 flutter valves a minute. This approach not only provided the benefits of simple and efficient productivity, but it only required a simple interface with a machine's PLC. There was no need for high level software; therefore Anaheim Automation was able to maintain lower costs, and simplify service considerations.

Stepper motor products are versatile motion control components that can be applied to several different industries, from entertainment and film, to the business world, to science and medicine.

Aircraft: A stepping motor is frequently used in aircraft instruments, scanning equipment, and sensing devices, such as antennas.

Automotive: SUV's and RV's, as well as some high-end automobiles, use the stepping motor to receive telecommunication signals. A stepping motor is also used for cruise control, automated dashboards gauges and electronic window equipment, as well as in automobile factories on their production lines.

Cameras - Filming and Projection: Not only does the stepping motor operate filming cameras and projectors, in the entertainment industry, but automatic digital cameras and mobile phone camera modules utilize tiny stepping motor for focusing and zooming functions as well. The security industry also uses a stepping motor for zooming, tilting and scanning operations in surveillance and security cameras.

Entertainment and Gaming: Slot machines, lottery machines, raffles, card shufflers, and wheel spinners can all be operated by cost-effective and reliable stepping motor. You can also find the stepping motor in stage productions to control curtains and lighting functions, for plays and concerts, as well as seminars and rallies.

Laboratory and Factory Improvements and Upgrades: A stepping motor is employed to perform tedious movements pertaining to mixing chemicals in laboratories, and operating equipment for controlled environmental testing. The stepping motor is used in retrofit kits (stepping motor, drivers, controllers and power supplies) for CNC machine control, factory automation and assembly processes. The stepping motor can also be found in scientific study, used to position observatory telescopes, and in many different types of scientific equipment, i.e. spectrographs, analyzers, and diagnostic machines.

Medical: The stepping motor provides a wide variety of functions for the medical and dental world. The stepping motor is used within medical scanners, multi-axis stepping motor microscopic or nanoscopic motion control of automated devices, auto-injectors, samplers, dispensing pumps, respirators, blood analysis machinery and chromatographs. In the dental industry, a stepping motor operates fluid pumps, and are often found inside digital dental photography equipment.

Office Equipment: PC based scanning equipment, optical disk drive head driving mechanisms, bar-code printers, label and box printers, scanners, and data storage drives all utilize the stepping motor for their motion control operation.

Anaheim Automation's tremendous versatility of control systems is evident in their new program titled, Musical Motors. They have utilized stepping motor, stepper drivers, and stepper controllers to operate at speeds that coincide with musical notes and pitches to produce a number of different tunes. Each tune is performed by simply running the program that converts each music note into a certain step-per-second. All of the different stepping motor are programmed to produce an appropriate pitch based on how many steps-per-second they run, and for how long. Typically played at a trade show, the program provides the element of surprise; most people do not expect to hear music that is being played by stepping motor!

The new DPD72451 Driver Pack is an individual preset indexer module, complete with Control Link (Indexer), BLD75 bi-level driver, and matched power supply. In order to handle all aspects of positioning on a single axis, it is ready to connect between an input device such as a thumbwheel switch counter, with a stepping motor.

The preset indexer board was originally built around the capabilities of a single-chip indexer. The chip is derived from the SMC 20BC, a programmable stepping motor controller chip. It features hard and soft limit outputs, three homing modules, jog/run, fast jog, and programmable base speed, maximum speed, and acceleration/deceleration. The Driver Pack therefore provides extended capabilities that make it applicable to a broad range of functions, the most popular being cut-to-length.

The necessary buffering and other circuitry required to support the chip is also included. However because the units are mounted separately in most installations, a thumbwheel switch is not included on the indexer. Anaheim Automation offers numerous different input devices for use with the DPD72451, including three-, four-, five-, and six-decade thumbwheel switch encounters; two-, four-, and six-decade rotary switches; and two-, four-, and six-quad rotary switches.

The high-performance bi-level driver BLD75 operates four-, six- or eight-lead stepping motors. Due to its characteristic of being a bi-level driver, it provides high torque (power) output and high start-stop speed. The power supply in the DPD72451 is fan-cooled and matched to the requirements of the PCL451 and the BLD75 bi-level driver.

Together, the indexer, bi-level driver, and matched power supply provide a complete, concise package with exceptional price and performance for a myriad of different applications. When two axes are required, two PCL451's can be housed in a larger Driver Pack, along with dual bi-level drivers and the appropriate power supply.

The stepper Motor is currently used all around the world for many types of applications. These motors provide as constant power devices. At low rpm's a high torque can be achieved the same cannot be said when the speed is increased. A high torque cannot be achieved at higher rpm's. These motors are great for positioning objects, such as conveyor belts, assembly lines, lathes, laser cutting, grinding and drilling machines, etc.

The stepping motors is ideal for precise positioning. You may have a fixed speed, variable speed, and position control. These motors are able to handle complex positions or movements. These devices offer power and precision in a compact sizes. These motors can take a great load. A good example to show this would be an escalator. Escalators are constantly worked and carry very heavy loads throughout the day. The step motor has to be able to take up to several hundreds of pounds maybe even thousands. The speed of the escalator is constant and never changes no matter how many people are on it.

A different type of application could be an assembly line. This typically requires precise quick and place movements. Most stepping motor products are open loop systems, meaning there is no feedback info needed about the position. By keeping track of the input step pulses, the position is known.

Some of the advantages of a stepping motor, but not limited to are: • Its input pulse is proportional to angle rotation
• If windings are energized at stand sill the motor has full torque
• Different rotation speeds are available since the frequency of input pulses are proportional to the speed.
• It cost less to have open-loop control that responds to digital input pulses
• Precise response time to starting, stopping, and reversing
• No brushes within the motor making it more reliable.

There are three different types of stepping motor models to choose from, the variable -reluctance, the permanent-magnet, and last but not least the hybrid step motor. The three all have different qualities for certain applications. The stepping motor has been around for a long time and are currently and will continue to be used throughout the world. No matter what the application will be the step motor will always rise to the occasion.

Each type of stepping motor varies per application by its construction and functionality. The three most common stepping motor types are Variable Reluctance, Permanent Magnet, and Hybrid Stepping Motors.

Variable Reluctance (VR) Stepping Motor
VR stepping motors are characterized as having multiple soft iron rotors and a wound stator. VR stepping motors generally operate on the basic principle of the magnetic flux finding the lowest reluctance pathway through a magnetic circuit. In general operation, VR stepping motors have relatively high step rates of 5 to 15 degrees and have no detent torque. The step angles taken in VR stepping motors are related to the number of teeth the stator and rotor have. The equation relating these two variables can be found in the formula section of this guide.

How Does a Variable Reluctance Stepping Motor Work?
Referring to Figure 1 on Page 2, the poles become magnetized when the stator windings are energized with DC current. With the poles becoming magnetized, the rotor teeth are now attracted to the energized stator poles and rotate to line up. With the windings around stator A becoming energized the rotor teeth become attracted allowing the poles to line up. When A’s windings become de-energized and B’s windings become energized, the rotor rotates to line its teeth with the stator teeth. This process continues in sequence with C, followed by D being energized allowing for the rotor to rotate.

Brief Summary of Variable Reluctance Stepping Motors:
• The rotor has multiple soft iron rotors with a wound stator
• Least complex and expensive stepping moto
• Large step angle
• No detent torque detected in hand rotation of a de-energized motor shaft

Permanent Magnet (PM) Stepping Motor
PM stepping motors are comprised of permanent magnet rotors with no teeth, which are magnetized perpendicular to the axis of rotation. By energizing the four phases in sequence, the rotor rotates due to the attraction of magnetic poles. The stepping motor shown in Figure 2 on page 3 will take 90 degree steps as the windings are energized in clockwise sequence: ABAB. PM stepping motors generally have step angles of 45 or 90 degrees and step at relatively low rates. However, they exhibit high torque and good damping characteristics. Anaheim Automation carries a wide selection of PM stepping motors, ranging from 15 to 57mm in diameter.

Brief Summary of Permanent Magnet (PM) Stepping Motors:
• The rotor is a permanent magnet
• Large to moderate step angle
• Often utilized in computer printers as a paper feeder

Hybrid Stepping Motors
Hybrid stepping motors incorporate the qualities of both the VR and PM stepping motor designs. With the Hybrid stepping motor’s multi-toothed rotor resemblance of the VR, and an axially magnetized concentric magnet around its shaft, the Hybrid stepping motor provides an increase in detent, holding and dynamic torque. In comparison to the PM stepping motor, the Hybrid stepping motor provides performance enhancement with respect to step resolution, torque, and speed. In addition, the Hybrid stepping motor is capable of operating at high stepping speeds. Typical Hybrid stepping motors are designed with step angles of 0.9°, 1.8°, 3.6° and 4.5°; 1.8° being the most common step angle. Hybrid stepping motors are ideally suited for applications having stable loads with speeds under 1,000 rpm. There are key components which are influential of the running torque of a Hybrid stepping motor which are laminations, teeth and magnetic materials. Increasing the amount of laminations on the rotor, precision and sharpness of the rotor and stator teeth, and strength of magnetic material are all factors taken into account in providing optimal torque output for Hybrid stepping motors.

Brief Summary of Hybrid Stepping Motors:
• Smaller step angles in comparison to VR and PM stepping motors
• Rotor is made of a permanent magnet with fine teeth
• Increase in detent, holding and dynamic torque
• 1.° is the most common step angle

NOTE: At Anaheim Automation, the 1.8 degree Hybrid stepping motor is the most widely stocked stepping motor type, ranging in NEMA frame sizes, 08 to 42. The Hybrid stepping motor can also be driven two phases at a time to yield more torque, or alternately one then two then one phase, to produce half-steps or 0.9 degree increments.

• Low efficiency (Motor attracts a substantial amount of power regardless of the load)
• Torque drops rapidly with speed (torque is inversely proportional of speed
• Prone to resonance* (Microstepping allows for smooth motion)
• No feedback to indicate missed steps
• Low torque-to-inertia ratio
• Cannot accelerate loads very rapidly
• Motor gets very hot in high performance configurations
• Motor will not “pick up” after momentary overload
• Motor is noisy at moderate to high speeds
• Low output power for size and weight Resonance-is inherent in the design and operation of all stepping motors and occurs at specific step rates. It is the combination of slow stepping rates, high rotor inertia, and elevated torque which produce ringing as the rotor overshoots its desired angular displacement and is pulled back into position causing resonance to occur. Adjusting either one of the three parameters –inertial load, step rate, or torque- will reduce or eliminate resonance. In practical practice, the torque parameter is more controllable using microstepping. In microstepping mode, power is applied to the stator windings incrementally which causes torque to slowly build, reducing overshoot and therefore reducing resonance.

The following environmental and safety considerations must be observed during all phases of operation, service and repair of a stepping motor system. Failure to comply with these precautions violates safety standards of design, manufacture and intended use of the stepping motor, driver and controller. Please note that even with a well?built stepping motor, products operated and installed improperly can be hazardous. Precaution must be observed by the user with respect to the load and operating environment. The customer is ultimately responsible for the proper selection, installation, and operation of the stepping motor system.

The atmosphere in which a stepping motor is used must be conducive to good general practices of electrical/electronic equipment. Do not operate the stepping motor in the presence of flammable gases, dust, oil, vapor or moisture. For outdoor use, the stepping motor, driver and controller must be protected from the elements by an adequate cover, while still providing adequate air flow and cooling. Moisture may cause an electrical shock hazard and/or induce system breakdown. Due consideration should be given to the avoidance of liquids and vapors of any kind. Contact the factory should your application require specific IP ratings. It is wise to install the stepping motor, driver and controller in an environment which is free from condensation, dust, electrical noise, vibration and shock.

Additionally, it is preferable to work with the stepping motor/driver /controller system in a non?static, protective environment. Exposed circuitry should always be properly guarded and/or enclosed to prevent unauthorized human contact with live circuitry. No work should be performed while power is applied. Don’t plug in or unplug the connectors when power is ON. Wait for at least 5 minutes before doing inspection work on the stepping motor system after turning power OFF, because even after the power is turned off, there will still be some electrical energy remaining in the capacitors of the internal circuit of the stepping motor driver.

Plan the installation of the stepping motor, driver and/or controller in a system design that is free from debris, such as metal debris from cutting, drilling, tapping, and welding, or any other foreign material that could come in contact with circuitry. Failure to prevent debris from entering the stepping motor system can result in damage and/or shock.

The following safety considerations are required to be observed during all phases of operation, service and repair. Failure to conform with these safety measures violates safety standards of design, manufacture, and designated use of Stepping Motor, drivers and controllers. Anaheim Automation, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the customer's incapacity to comply with theserequirements. Even well-built products, operated or installed improperly, can be hazardous. Safety precautions must be observed by the user with regard to the load and operating environment. The customer is liable for appropriate selection, installation and operation of the products purchased from Anaheim Automation, Inc.

• Use caution when handling, testing, and adjusting during installation, set-up and operation
• Service must not be performed with power applied
• Make sure the motor/driver has plenty of heat dissipation and air flow
• Exposed circuitry should be properly guarded or enclosed to counteract unauthorized human contact with live circuitry
• All products should be firmly mounted and effectively grounded
• Elements such as flammable gases, vapors, liquids or dust should not interact with a stepping motor in operation

NOTE: Please Use a RMA Form should you need to return a product for REPAIR. This form can be found in Support, Forms, RMA Request on this web site.

The main use of the stepping motor is to control motion, whether it is linear or rotational. In the case of rotational motion, receiving digital pulses in a correct sequence allows the shaft of a stepping motor to rotate in discrete step increments. A pulse (also referred to as a clock or step signal) used in a stepping motor system can be produced by microprocessors, timing logic, a toggle switch or relay closure. A train of digital pulses translates into shaft revolutions. Each revolution requires a given number of pulses and each pulse equals one rotary increment or step, which is only a portion of one complete rotation. There are numerous relationships between the motors shaft rotation and input pulses. One such relationship is the direction of rotation and the sequence of applied pulses. With proper sequential pulses being delivered to the device, the rotation of the shaft motor will undergo a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation. Another relation between the motor’s rotation and input pulses is the relationship between frequency and speed. Increasing the frequency of the input pulses allows for the speed of the motor shaft rotation to increase.

A stepping motor performs the conversion of logic pulses by sequencing power to the stepping motor windings; generally, one supplied pulse will yield one rotational step of the motor. This precision is provided by a stepper driver, which is able to control speed and positioning of the motor. The stepping motor increments a precise amount with each control pulse, converting digital information into exact incremental rotation without the need for feedback devices, such as tachometers or encoders. Since the stepping motor/driver is an open-loop system, the problems of feedback loop phase shift and resultant instability, common with servo motor/drive systems, are eliminated.

There are several important criteria involved in selecting the proper stepping motor:
1. Desired Mechanical Motion
2. Speed Required
3. Load
4. Stepper Mod
5. Winding Configuratio

With appropriate logic pulses, stepping motors can be bi-directional, synchronous, provide rapid acceleration, run/stop, reversal, and can interface easily with other digital mechanisms. Characterized as having low-rotor moment of inertia, no drift, and a noncumulative positioning error, a stepping motor is a cost-effective solution for many motion control applications. Generally, stepping motors are operated without feedback in an open-loop fashion and sometimes match the performance of more expensive DC Servo Systems. As mentioned earlier, the only inaccuracy associated with a stepping motor is a noncumulative positioning error measured in % of step angle. Typically, stepping motors are manufactured within a 3-5% step accuracy.

Motion requirements, load characteristics, coupling techniques, and electrical requirements need to be understood before the system designer can select the best stepping motor/driver/controller combination for a specific application. While not a difficult task, several key factors need to be considered when determining an optimal stepping motor solution. The system designer should adjust the characteristics of the elements under his/her control, to meet the application requirements. Anaheim Automation offers many options in its broad line of stepping motor products, allowing for the maximum amount of design flexibility. Although it may appear overwhelming to choose, the result of having a large number of options is a high-performance system that is cost-effective. Elements needed to be considered include the stepping motor, driver, and power supply selections, as well as the mechanical transmission, such as gearing or load weight reduction through the use of alternative materials. Some of these relationships and system parameters are described in this guide.

Inertial Loads
Inertia is a measure of an object’s resistance to a change in velocity. The larger an object’s inertia, the greater the torque is required to accelerate or decelerate it. Inertia is a function of an object’s mass and shape. A system designer may wish to select an alternative shape or low-density material for optimal performance. If a limited amount of torque is available in a selected system, then the acceleration and deceleration times must increase. For most efficient stepping motor systems, the coupling ratio (gear ratio) should be selected so the reflected inertia of the load is equal to, or greater than, the rotor inertia of the stepping motor. It is recommended that this ratio not be less than 10 times the rotor inertia. The system design may require the inertia to be added or subtracted by selecting different materials or shapes of the loads.

NOTE: The reflected inertia is reduced by a square of the gear ratio, and the speed is increased by a multiple of the gear ratio.

Frictional Loads
All mechanical systems exhibit some frictional force. The designer of a stepping motor system must be able to predict elements causing friction within the system. These elements may be in the form of bearing drag, sliding friction, system wear, or the viscosity of an oil filled gear box (temperature dependent). A stepping motor must be selected that can overcome any system friction and still provide the necessary torque to accelerate the inertial load.

NOTE: Some friction is desired, since it can reduce settling time and improve performance.

Positioning Resolution
The positioning resolution required by the application may have an effect on the type of transmission used, and/or selection of the stepping motor driver. For example: A lead screw with 5 threads per inch on a full-step drive provides 0.001 inch/step; half-step provides 0.0005 inch/step; a microstep resolution of 25,400 steps/rev provides 0.0000015 inch/step.

The typical lifetime for a stepping motor is 10,000 operating hours. This approximates to 4.8 years; given the stepping motor operates one eight-hour shift per day. The lifetime of a stepping motor may vary in regards to user application and how rigorous the stepping motor is run.

Stepper motors are wound on the stator poles in either a unifilar or bifilar configuration. The term unifilar winding refers to the winding configuration of the stepping motor where each stator pole has one set of windings; the stepping motor will have only 4 lead wires. This winding configuration can only be driven from a bipolar driver. The term bifilar winding refers to the winding configuration of a stepping motor where each stator pole has a pair of identical windings; the stepping motor will have either 6 or 8 lead wires, depending on termination. This type of winding configuration simplifies operation in that transferring current from one coil to another, wound in the opposite direction, will reverse the rotation of the motor shaft. Unlike the unifilar winding which can only work with a bipolar driver, the bifilar winding configuration can be driven by a unipolar or bipolar driver.

The main components used in a stepping motor are the shaft, rotor and stator laminations, magnets, bearings, copper wires and lead wires, washers, and front and end covers. Most shafts of a stepping motor are made of stainless steel metal, while the stator and the rotor laminations are comprised of silicon steel. The silicon steel allows for higher electrical resistivity which lowers core loss. The various magnets available in stepping motors allow for multiple construction considerations. These magnets are ferrite plastic, ferrite sintered and Nd-Fe-B bonded magnets. The bearings of a stepping motor vary with size of the motor. The housing materials are composed of various other metals like aluminum, which allow for high resistance to heat.

• Step motors are constant power devices.
• As the step motor speed increases, torque decreases.
• Maximum torque for most step motors is when the motor is stationary, but the important aspect of the step motor is the torque when rotating (spinning).
• Torque curves (performance curve of a specific step motor) can be extended by current limiting step motor drivers (see our web site for compatible step motor and driver models).
• Step motors exhibit some vibratory characteristics, more than other motor types. (If vibration is a problem, consider another technology).
• The vibration seen in a step motor is due to the fact that the takes discrete steps and this tends to create a snap in the step motor rotor, as it moves from one position to the other.
• Proper sizing and pairing the step motor with the step motor driver will help reduce vibration
• Failure to correctly size a stepping motor application can cause the motor to lose torque and change direction, at certain speeds. (This problem can be greatly reduced or eliminated by accelerating quickly the speeds that are problematic. Frictional damping the step motor system or using a micro step motor driver combination may completely solve this problem.
• Motor stepper types that are constructed with a high amount of phases are capable of smoother operation, or the same effect can be accomplished using a microstep drive technique.

Anaheim Automation carries a broad line of step motor, as well as step motor drivers and controller. Specials and customization services are also available, should your application require an exact step motor specification.

A stepping motor in open-loop systems can provide accurate, dependable speed and positioning that can equal the best servo performance if installed correctly. Their simplicity allows them to function without tachometers, encoders, or other drawbacks that add to the cost of operation. Proper installation also makes it easy to pinpoint the exact effect of the operation, since they increment a precise amount with each control pulse. Likewise, the rate of control pulses determines motor speed so it too is totally predictable. Therefore, in the right mechanical environment, stepping motor systems can provide whatever degree of accuracy and reliability that is required.

Designing a System:
A stepping motor has several usage benefits over servos, the first being cost. In almost any application, stepping motor can be used at a fraction of the cost of servo. With servo drives, the problem of feedback loop phase shift and instability is common. However, the stepping motor is an open-loop system that completely void any potential problem that could arise in this area.

The initial design phase for open-loop systems is similar to that of the servo system. Load characteristics, performance requirements, and mechanical design, including coupling techniques, must be thoroughly considered before a designer can effectively select the best appropriate stepping motor and driver combination for an application.

Once these factors have been determined, the motor specifications and system motion controller, such as a computer or PLC, can be established. Then the design comes down to selecting the suitable driver and controller to produce the motion necessary for the application.

Defining a Driver Pack:
In order to obtain an optimum solution, the following factors must be considered:
1. Begin with the stepping motor(s) and controller you have selected for your application.
2. Make use of one driver for each motor. The driver must match the motor current (amps per phase).
3. Include a power supply that supports the driver(s) and motor(s).
4. Select an interface to handle communications between the control device and the indexer (parallel, RS422, RS232C, serial, PLC, or manual switches).
5. Configure the Driver Pack with items 2 through 4 as applicable, or see Driver Packs on our website.

NOTE: When the wiring from a driver to a stepping motor extends beyond 25 feet, consult Anaheim Automation for additional assistance. Shielded motor cable is available and purchased separately.

The primary question Anaheim Automation needs answered regarding the application of a stepping motor is, "What is the torque requirement of the mechanism driven?" Accurate measurements of the torque requirements will facilitate in the selection of a stepping motor and driver/controller. A torque wrench is perhaps the easiest method to determine torque. The wrench's gauge will indicate the torque measurement in units of ounce-inches or pound-inches. A torque watch can also be used; it is an instrument that works similarly to a torque wrench and attaches to the end of a shaft. A torque watch can be purchased at locations where precision instruments are sold.

Another way to measure torque is the old "fish scale method," which involves purchasing a spring scale and a pulley to fit the desired shaft. First mount the pulley onto the shaft, securing a strong string to the pulley. Wind the string around the pulley a few times, attaching the other end to the scale. Continue to pull on the string until the shaft begins to turn. The torque in pound inches is determined by multiplying the force in pounds displayed on the scale, with the radius of the pulley in inches. The radius of the pulley is the distance between the shaft's center and the string wound around the pulley. This crude method can be used to determine both the starting and running torque; depending on how precisely the test is conducted.

The same task can be performed without a spring scale, simply by getting the shaft to turn by adding more weight. Then place the weight on a scale and multiply the pounds or ounces times the radius in inches to determine the torque. If unsure in how to select an appropriate stepping motor for your application, contact our Applications Department.

Most people do not realize the precision that goes into the manufacturing of products like oil filter rings, small drive and timing belts, and other similar rubber parts; engineers work to ensure they will perform correctly. The necessity to produce a reliable part substantially increases the cost of the good in which the product is installed in. Therefore, manufacturers using these parts need a quick, efficient way of producing them.

A line of automatic rubber cutters ranging all the way from a simple, lathe-like machine up to a four spindle model is manufactured by one of our first customers. The line consists of numerous degrees of automation, one model having the capability to load a machine, cut parts, eject scrap into a waste bin, and place cut parts in a shipping container. Another model can cut double angles to make beveled edges, V-belt configurations, etc.

Raw rubber comes in a tube-like shape that conforms to specified dimensions. The lengths of the tube are placed on mandrels and turned, much like a work piece in a lathe. To make cuts that produce the parts, a cutting mechanism stops at specified intervals as it travels along the tube.

An Anaheim Automation stepping motor Driver Pack is used to accomplish exact precision when controlling the stepping motor; it positions the cutter as it travels along the tube. The stepping motor Driver Pack contains a preset indexer, a high performance bi-level stepping motor driver, and a matched power supply, all included in a small compact unit that is housed conveniently in the machine's control panel. While the stepping motor Driver Pack takes care of actual positioning, the operator dials the specified width directly on the thumbwheel switches. The width of the cut can range from a thousandth of an inch to up to the length of the tube. The machines have the ability to index and cut up to 240 times a minute on each spindle.

The control phase of manufacturing becomes significantly easier with the use of stepping motor Driver Packs, and allows for fast, dependable operation for the customers.

Anaheim Automation's color-coded motor cable is available with aluminum foil shielding and a drain wire. This attribute forces noise to ground, protecting the stepping motor driver signals against corruption (electrical noise) and possible subsequent system failures.

Shielded, color-coded motor cable is correctly sized (several gauges are offered), available in four, six or eight size conductor types with PVC insulation. The conductors are color-coded to match the leads on many Anaheim Automation standard stepping motor series, i.e. the D series stepping motor sequence (red/white, green, green/white, black, white).

Color-coding the stepping motor cable has significantly reduced mistakes in the field by assuring the use of the correct wire gauges and preventing stepping motor leads from crossing. Due to the fact that stepping motor cables have eliminated many complications, we strongly recommend purchasing Anaheim Automated color-coded stepping motor cable for all motor driver installations. Available in one-foot increments, stepping motor cable is a small investment that will reap big rewards; it will help you protect your motion system.

A bipolar step motor (also referred to as a step or stepping motor) is an electromechanical device achieving mechanical movements through conversion of electrical pulses. Stepper motors are driven by digital pulses rather than by a continuous applied voltage. Unlike conventional electric motors which rotate continuously, bipolar step motors rotate or step in fixed angular increments. A bipolar step motor is most commonly used for position control. With a bipolar step motor/driver/controller system design, it is assumed the bipolar step motor will follow digital instructions. One important aspect of bipolar step motors is their lack of feedback to maintain control of position. It is this lack of feedback which classifies bipolar step motors as open-loop systems.

• Low efficiency (Motor attracts a substantial amount of power regardless of the load) • Torque drops rapidly with speed (torque is inversely proportional of speed) • Prone to resonance* (Microstepping allows for smooth motion) • No feedback to indicate missed steps • Low torque-to-inertia ratio • Cannot accelerate loads very rapidly • Motor gets very hot in high performance configurations • Motor will not “pick up” after momentary overload • Motor is noisy at moderate to high speeds • Low output power for size and weight *Resonance-is inherent in the design and operation of all stepping motors and occurs at specific step rates. It is the combination of slow stepping rates, high rotor inertia, and elevated torque which produce ringing as the rotor overshoots its desired angular displacement and is pulled back into position causing resonance to occur. Adjusting either one of the three parameters –inertial load, step rate, or torque- will reduce or eliminate resonance. In practical practice, the torque parameter is more controllable using microstepping. In microstepping mode, power is applied to the stator windings incrementally which causes torque to slowly build, reducing overshoot and therefore reducing resonance.

Often customers want plastic extrusion shops to do precision cutting on top of producing extrusions. However until recently, many requests of that nature had to be declined, or the shops had to invest in machines that cost up to $125,000. Recently however, one shop solved this problem by developing an automated Precision Cutter, a machine that holds the close tolerances required, cuts both hard and soft extrusions, also does counterboring and reaming, and costs less than $35,000. With its capability at this price, precision extrusion cutting became a high-return secondary operation for any extrusion shop. The Precision Cutter essentially consisted of a single-axis positioning table, an air-raised-gravity-dropped cutoff saw, and air-operated clamps. An Anaheim Automation Programmable Bipolar Step Motor Driver Pack (which included stepper motor drives and controllers), and an easy-to-use computer program worked together to provide control. In operation, an extrusion was clamped on the Precision Cutters locating table and a stepping motor fastened to the table, so the programmed length extends beyond the cutoff saw. The extrusion and parts that will be cut are secured by clamps on either side of the blade. This clamping ensemble eliminated part movement during the cutting process and made sure the required tolerance-down to the plus or minus 0.002 in.-will be met. The blade completed the cut and then returned to its original position. After this function, the clamps released the cut part and re-positioned the extrusion for the next area to be cut. The computer used for programming was housed in a drawer on the machine. For cutting, the programmer only needs to key in one number. However, if counterboring and reaming were also required, the operator must key in three numbers. Once the operator presses the RESET button, the machine began to cycle through the program until it ran out of material. Computer commands were sent to both the Bipolar Step Motor Driver Pack and the inputs from the sensors on the machine. Anaheim Automation developed an internal program that provided instructions for the stepper motor drives to translate the information into the necessary driver output to operate the stepping motor. The stepping motor positioned the table, and sent the information to output signals that operate the air solenoids that controlled the clamps and the jaw. The bipolar stepper motor Driver Pack chosen contained stepper motor drives, computer interface and the necessary logic it needed to translate machine signals and computer input into pulses. These pulses operated one or more stepper motors and controlled signals for beginning and ending the necessary mechanical processes. High-performance, bi-level stepper motor drives (one for each motor) were the chosen driver(s). A fan-cooled power supply, specifically matched to the requirements of the stepper motor drives and was also included in the bipolar stepper motor Driver Pack. Bipolar Step Motor Driver Packs can operate one, two, three, or four axes of motion, and many other mechanical operations. Precision Cutters were available from machinery manufacturers in single, double, and triple-stepper motor drive models. In this application, the motors were operated by a single Bipolar Step Motor Driver Pack. Due to the control flexibility, the double and triple stepper motor drives models simultaneously processed a single part on one axis, identical parts on all axes, or different parts on each axis. They were capable of handling hard and soft extrusions, in a number of lengths; up to 1 in. in diameter. The selected unit cut steel and other metals, simply by switching the blade on the cutter mechanisim.

A small, automated punch press known as the Chassis Maker, offered many of the same features found in larger high-production machines. However it was substantially more cost-effective because of its design using the Anaheim Automation stepper motor and bipolar step motor driver and controller. It truly offered servo motor performance at a stepping motor price, by using closed-loop motion control. Anaheim Automation, along with Functional Robotics, developed the automated punch press for producers of precision electronic enclosures, brackets, and other sheet metal applications. Not only did the Chassis Maker provide complete precision and automated operation for bipolar step motor driver and controller products, it offered features such as a rotating clamp that turns the sheet metal 180 degrees, and clamp repositioning that extends the work area to 48 by 60 inches. The Chassis Maker can tolerate up to 12 gauge mild steel and 0.150 inch thick aluminum due to its 12 tons of punching force. The machine is only 80 inches long by 60 inches wide by 70 inches high, ran on 110 VAC, and requires 120 psi from an external air compressor. Anaheim Automations step motor controller board and high-performance bipolar step motor driver managed stepper motors on three axes: X and Y for the work piece, and rotation of the sixteen station turret. A PC computer deals with position verification and auto correction, and each axis is provided with encoder feedback. The PC uses software that uses punch commands in either English or metric units and includes capabilities for nibbling lines and arcs, handling line at angle functions, and punching grid, bolt hole circle, and user-defined patterns with micro jointing. In addition, the software provides for jobs that necessitate more than 16 tools and includes graphics for previewing parts before punching.

Synchronizing sound and film has been a major challenge facing the entertainment industry, because most motors do not simultaneously start and stop. The problem was amplified with the increase in multi-projector presentations, such as rock shows, amusement parks, and stage shows. The introduction of bipolar step motor driver, motor and controller systems has made this task easier to execute. In many instances, Anaheim Automations stepper motion control products can drive several of the multi-image backgrounds you may see in motion pictures, a sound show, or perhaps in an amusement park. Before stepper motors, sometimes referred to as, stepping motors, motor stepper, and step motors, became available, only mediocre synchronization between sound and image could occur. The systems were expensive and unreliable, especially after they were in transit between events. Drastically different, stepper motors, along with a bipolar step motor driver, provided the ability to program a specific start, run, and stop speed, as well as the rate of speed. This gave the projectors the capacity to operate at different speeds for special applications. With bipolar step motor driver advances, not only are these speeds exact, but with an effortless input to the stepper motor controller system, they are easy and straightforward to change. Along with the customer, Anaheim Automation researched the requirements to drive the required functions, and produced custom bipolar stepper motor Driver Packs that could offer five times the flexibility of their previous systems, cutting their costs in half. With Anaheim Automations vast stepper motor, bipolar step motor driver, and stepper controller product lines, the customer also substantially reduced the bulk of controls and overall weight of their system. Even with improved performance, the projection systems were compact; they are small enough to travel within four road cases and they only take one person to set them up and operate them. These types of advanced stepper motor Driver Packs opened the door for many other opportunities in the filming and projection industry, not just projector synchronization. There is also great potential use for Anaheim Automations step motor, step motor controller and both unipolar stepper motor driver and bipolar step motor driver product lines in the areas of film editing, theater operation, special effects, and more.

Dont see exactly what you want in a bipolar step motor driver or controller? Private-labeling may be your answer. Private-labeling is used for a variety of reasons in the business world. Some companies simply prefer to have a custom product with their own company name on the equipment they produce for recognition, while others utilize it to conceal sources from competition, or for uniformity among their products. Anaheim Automation has been accommodating requests for customization and private-labeling on their products for many decades now. Actually, for some large orders, we have even waived the setup and screening costs. One company that produces highly technical positioning products uses privately labeled bipolar step motor Driver Packs in its products because it increases their company recognition as a technology leader. Other companies similarly use Anaheim Automation bipolar step motor driver products labeled with their names and logos, along with custom programmed integrated circuits for the accompanying stepping motor controller. For additional information on private-labeling, contact the Anaheim Automation factory.

A bipolar stepper motor (also referred to as a step or stepping motor) is an electromechanical device achieving mechanical movements through conversion of electrical pulses. Stepper motors are driven by digital pulses rather than by a continuous applied voltage. Unlike conventional electric motors which rotate continuously, bipolar stepper motors rotate or step in fixed angular increments. A bipolar stepper motor is most commonly used for position control. With a bipolar stepper motor/driver/controller system design, it is assumed the bipolar stepper motor will follow digital instructions. One important aspect of bipolar stepper motors is their lack of feedback to maintain control of position. It is this lack of feedback which classifies bipolar stepper motors as open-loop systems.

• Low efficiency (Motor attracts a substantial amount of power regardless of the load) • Torque drops rapidly with speed (torque is inversely proportional of speed) • Prone to resonance* (Microstepping allows for smooth motion) • No feedback to indicate missed steps • Low torque-to-inertia ratio • Cannot accelerate loads very rapidly • Motor gets very hot in high performance configurations • Motor will not “pick up” after momentary overload • Motor is noisy at moderate to high speeds • Low output power for size and weight *Resonance-is inherent in the design and operation of all stepping motors and occurs at specific step rates. It is the combination of slow stepping rates, high rotor inertia, and elevated torque which produce ringing as the rotor overshoots its desired angular displacement and is pulled back into position causing resonance to occur. Adjusting either one of the three parameters –inertial load, step rate, or torque- will reduce or eliminate resonance. In practical practice, the torque parameter is more controllable using microstepping. In microstepping mode, power is applied to the stator windings incrementally which causes torque to slowly build, reducing overshoot and therefore reducing resonance.

Often customers want plastic extrusion shops to do precision cutting on top of producing extrusions. However until recently, many requests of that nature had to be declined, or the shops had to invest in machines that cost up to $125,000. Recently however, one shop solved this problem by developing an automated Precision Cutter, a machine that holds the close tolerances required, cuts both hard and soft extrusions, also does counterboring and reaming, and costs less than $35,000. With its capability at this price, precision extrusion cutting became a high-return secondary operation for any extrusion shop. The Precision Cutter essentially consisted of a single-axis positioning table, an air-raised-gravity-dropped cutoff saw, and air-operated clamps. An Anaheim Automation Programmable Bipolar Stepper Motor Driver Pack (which included stepper motor drives and controllers), and an easy-to-use computer program worked together to provide control. In operation, an extrusion was clamped on the Precision Cutters locating table and a stepping motor fastened to the table, so the programmed length extends beyond the cutoff saw. The extrusion and parts that will be cut are secured by clamps on either side of the blade. This clamping ensemble eliminated part movement during the cutting process and made sure the required tolerance-down to the plus or minus 0.002 in.-will be met. The blade completed the cut and then returned to its original position. After this function, the clamps released the cut part and re-positioned the extrusion for the next area to be cut. The computer used for programming was housed in a drawer on the machine. For cutting, the programmer only needs to key in one number. However, if counterboring and reaming were also required, the operator must key in three numbers. Once the operator presses the RESET button, the machine began to cycle through the program until it ran out of material. Computer commands were sent to both the Bipolar Stepper Motor Driver Pack and the inputs from the sensors on the machine. Anaheim Automation developed an internal program that provided instructions for the stepper motor drives to translate the information into the necessary driver output to operate the stepping motor. The stepping motor positioned the table, and sent the information to output signals that operate the air solenoids that controlled the clamps and the jaw. The bipolar stepper motor Driver Pack chosen contained stepper motor drives, computer interface and the necessary logic it needed to translate machine signals and computer input into pulses. These pulses operated one or more stepper motors and controlled signals for beginning and ending the necessary mechanical processes. High-performance, bi-level stepper motor drives (one for each motor) were the chosen driver(s). A fan-cooled power supply, specifically matched to the requirements of the stepper motor drives and was also included in the bipolar stepper motor Driver Pack. Bipolar Stepper Motor Driver Packs can operate one, two, three, or four axes of motion, and many other mechanical operations. Precision Cutters were available from machinery manufacturers in single, double, and triple-stepper motor drive models. In this application, the motors were operated by a single Bipolar Stepper Motor Driver Pack. Due to the control flexibility, the double and triple stepper motor drives models simultaneously processed a single part on one axis, identical parts on all axes, or different parts on each axis. They were capable of handling hard and soft extrusions, in a number of lengths; up to 1 in. in diameter. The selected unit cut steel and other metals, simply by switching the blade on the cutter mechanisim.

A small, automated punch press known as the Chassis Maker, offered many of the same features found in larger high-production machines. However it was substantially more cost-effective because of its design using the Anaheim Automation stepper motor and bipolar stepper motor driver and controller. It truly offered servo motor performance at a stepping motor price, by using closed-loop motion control. Anaheim Automation, along with Functional Robotics, developed the automated punch press for producers of precision electronic enclosures, brackets, and other sheet metal applications. Not only did the Chassis Maker provide complete precision and automated operation for bipolar stepper motor driver and controller products, it offered features such as a rotating clamp that turns the sheet metal 180 degrees, and clamp repositioning that extends the work area to 48 by 60 inches. The Chassis Maker can tolerate up to 12 gauge mild steel and 0.150 inch thick aluminum due to its 12 tons of punching force. The machine is only 80 inches long by 60 inches wide by 70 inches high, ran on 110 VAC, and requires 120 psi from an external air compressor. Anaheim Automations step motor controller board and high-performance bipolar stepper motor driver managed stepper motors on three axes: X and Y for the work piece, and rotation of the sixteen station turret. A PC computer deals with position verification and auto correction, and each axis is provided with encoder feedback. The PC uses software that uses punch commands in either English or metric units and includes capabilities for nibbling lines and arcs, handling line at angle functions, and punching grid, bolt hole circle, and user-defined patterns with micro jointing. In addition, the software provides for jobs that necessitate more than 16 tools and includes graphics for previewing parts before punching.

Synchronizing sound and film has been a major challenge facing the entertainment industry, because most motors do not simultaneously start and stop. The problem was amplified with the increase in multi-projector presentations, such as rock shows, amusement parks, and stage shows. The introduction of bipolar stepper motor driver, motor and controller systems has made this task easier to execute. In many instances, Anaheim Automations stepper motion control products can drive several of the multi-image backgrounds you may see in motion pictures, a sound show, or perhaps in an amusement park. Before stepper motors, sometimes referred to as, stepping motors, motor stepper, and step motors, became available, only mediocre synchronization between sound and image could occur. The systems were expensive and unreliable, especially after they were in transit between events. Drastically different, stepper motors, along with a bipolar stepper motor driver, provided the ability to program a specific start, run, and stop speed, as well as the rate of speed. This gave the projectors the capacity to operate at different speeds for special applications. With bipolar stepper motor driver advances, not only are these speeds exact, but with an effortless input to the stepper motor controller system, they are easy and straightforward to change. Along with the customer, Anaheim Automation researched the requirements to drive the required functions, and produced custom bipolar stepper motor Driver Packs that could offer five times the flexibility of their previous systems, cutting their costs in half. With Anaheim Automations vast stepper motor, bipolar stepper motor driver, and stepper controller product lines, the customer also substantially reduced the bulk of controls and overall weight of their system. Even with improved performance, the projection systems were compact; they are small enough to travel within four road cases and they only take one person to set them up and operate them. These types of advanced stepper motor Driver Packs opened the door for many other opportunities in the filming and projection industry, not just projector synchronization. There is also great potential use for Anaheim Automations step motor, step motor controller and both unipolar stepper motor driver and bipolar stepper motor driver product lines in the areas of film editing, theater operation, special effects, and more.

Dont see exactly what you want in a bipolar stepper motor driver or controller? Private-labeling may be your answer. Private-labeling is used for a variety of reasons in the business world. Some companies simply prefer to have a custom product with their own company name on the equipment they produce for recognition, while others utilize it to conceal sources from competition, or for uniformity among their products. Anaheim Automation has been accommodating requests for customization and private-labeling on their products for many decades now. Actually, for some large orders, we have even waived the setup and screening costs. One company that produces highly technical positioning products uses privately labeled bipolar stepper Driver Packs in its products because it increases their company recognition as a technology leader. Other companies similarly use Anaheim Automation bipolar stepper motor driver products labeled with their names and logos, along with custom programmed integrated circuits for the accompanying stepping motor controller. For additional information on private-labeling, contact the Anaheim Automation factory.

Along with the bipolar stepping motor, Anaheim Automation carries a comprehensive line of drivers and controllers, power supplies, gear motors, gearboxes, bipolar stepping motor linear actuators and integrated bipolar stepping motor/driver packages. Additionally, Anaheim Automation offers encoders, brakes, HMI couplings, cables and connectors, linear guides and X-Y tables. If the bipolar stepping motor is not ideal for your application, you might consider brushless DC, brush DC, servo, or AC motors, and their compatible drivers/controllers.

• Cost-effective* • Simple designs • High reliability • Brushless construction • Maintenance-free • If windings are energized at standstill, the motor has full torque • No feedback mechanisms required • High acceleration and power rate • A wide range of rotational speeds can be attained as the speed is proportional to the frequency of the input pulses • Known limit to the dynamic position error *Stepper motor products vary in cost based on the criteria for each application. Some criteria include options of 0.9°, 1.8°, 3.6° and 4.5° step angles, torque ranging from 1 to 5,700 oz-in, and NEMA frame sizes of 08 to 42. Additional attachments such as cables and encoders can be purchased separately for an additional cost. With our friendly customer service and professional application assistance, Anaheim Automation often surpasses customer expectations for fulfilling specific bipolar stepping motor and driver requirements, as well as other motion control needs.

One of Anaheim Automation Inc.s customers provides services and products for the automobile industry, such as process automation, prototyping, engine test standards, and gauging equipment. At one point, our customer encountered a problem; popular cars were being redesigned, and they needed computer control of a bipolar stepping motor for their project. They had tried several other motion control manufacturers before deciding to have Anaheim Automation help them with their project. The project dealt with the cooling of an engine in a strange area. Anaheim Automations assignment was to construct a prototype that would scoop air from beneath the car and redirect maximum air flow to this area. It was almost impossible to predict an accurate shape that would allow precise airflow, due to the fact that in order to fit in the available space, the duct had to be in an extremely complex configuration. The solution to this problem involved making a flexible duct that, by moving its parts, allowed it to be reshaped. The duct would be mounted in a wind tunnel, and installed in the prototype of the car. Next, engineers experimented with the ducts shape until they discovered what shape allowed for the best air flow. This shape became the basic model to construct in the overall prototype. Anaheim Automation needed to shape the duct without diverting from the project goal, and therefore needed 15 axes of motion and one easy-to-use controller. To meet this necessity, Anaheim Automation assembled five triple-axis bipolar stepping motor drivers, programmable indexers, an interface, and the necessary power supply into a compact package, along with 15 compatible bipolar stepping motor models. When the computer was turned on, the program came up, so the system didnt require any knowledge of the computer operation. In addition, it reduced operation to simply answering three questions (prompting the user). The user could change the speed at any time; however, the operator did not need to know anything about base speed, acceleration, or deceleration, because the parameters for optimal motor speed was preloaded with the system program. While operating, the program prompted the operator with, What axis, how many steps, and which direction? The user only needed to press the F1 function key to produce the desired motion for the bipolar stepping motor to move. With the experiment in full swing, engineers were able to manipulate the air duct in order to achieve maximum air flow underneath the vehicle. The required motion was easily produced at the press of a button, and the positions could be easily repeated. Ultimately, our customers engineering staff was able to determine the exact shape of the duct that provided the car with maximum air flow. Simple, low-cost, and extremely efficient bipolar stepping motor products, and drivers provided the solution the customer required.

The stepper Motor is currently used all around the world for many types of applications. These motors provide as constant power devices. At low rpms a high torque can be achieved the same cannot be said when the speed is increased. A high torque cannot be achieved at higher rpms. These motors are great for positioning objects, such as conveyor belts, assembly lines, lathes, laser cutting, grinding and drilling machines, etc. The bipolar stepping motors is ideal for precise positioning. You may have a fixed speed, variable speed, and position control. These motors are able to handle complex positions or movements. These devices offer power and precision in a compact sizes. These motors can take a great load. A good example to show this would be an escalator. Escalators are constantly worked and carry very heavy loads throughout the day. The step motor has to be able to take up to several hundreds of pounds maybe even thousands. The speed of the escalator is constant and never changes no matter how many people are on it. A different type of application could be an assembly line. This typically requires precise quick and place movements. Most bipolar stepping motor products are open loop systems, meaning there is no feedback info needed about the position. By keeping track of the input step pulses, the position is known. Some of the advantages of a bipolar stepping motor, but not limited to are: • Its input pulse is proportional to angle rotation • If windings are energized at stand sill the motor has full torque • Different rotation speeds are available since the frequency of input pulses are proportional to the speed. • It cost less to have open-loop control that responds to digital input pulses • Precise response time to starting, stopping, and reversing • No brushes within the motor making it more reliable. There are three different types of bipolar stepping motor models to choose from, the variable -reluctance, the permanent-magnet, and last but not least the hybrid step motor. The three all have different qualities for certain applications. The bipolar stepping motor has been around for a long time and are currently and will continue to be used throughout the world. No matter what the application will be the step motor will always rise to the occasion.

One of the best, most flexible, computer-controlled positioning systems is one in which the bipolar stepping motor is integrated. Having more simple and hardy characteristics compared to a closed-loop servo system, bipolar stepping motor and driver systems are digitally controlled, and are a crucial element in the less costly open-loop system. Industrial applications for the bipolar stepping motor are in high-speed pick-and-place equipment and multi-axis CNC machines frequently drive lead screws or ballscrews directly. Usually, a bipolar stepping motor is often used in precision positioning in the fields of lasers and optics, often being used in linear actuators, linear stages, goniometers, mirror mounts, and rotation stages. The bipolar stepping motor is also used for positioning valve pilot stages for fluid control systems, and in packaging machinery. Traditionally, the bipolar stepping motor has been used commercially in floppy disk drives, and continues to be used for flatbed scanners, computer printers, plotters, slot machines, and a myriad of other devices. A bipolar stepping motor can be used to generate power as well, often designed in wind turbines and solar positioning systems.

Time is the centralized theme at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History in Albuquerque. At one point, the museum wanted to convey the idea that traveling through the exhibit is as if one is traveling through time. The museum depicted the conditions of New Mexico during the time periods of the Cretaceous period (75 million years ago) and the Tertiary period (37 million years ago), and how the area has evolved since. However, the museum did so with less than a satisfactory effect on the visitor. The idea they constructed to improve this was known as the Evolator. Derived from a combination of the words EVOLutionary and elevATOR, the evolator was an elevator-like vehicle that allowed visitors to be transported through time as evolution took place. It was designed by Art & Technology, Inc., in California, and is located between two exhibit areas in the museum. Allowing up to twenty people to enter from one exhibit into one door, experience time travel, and exit out the second door into another exhibit, it allows the passengers to experience 30 million years of time travel in six minutes. During time travel, the guests can view the outside world via TV screens, and see the two ports and the evolator traveling through rock strata on both sides of them. They can feel the vehicle moving throughout the tour, as it stops frequently throughout the trip for the computer to evaluate the rocks that are visible through the ports. In order to create the full time travel illusion, five laser disks, special lighting, a sound system, a hydraulic system for rocking the evolator floor and two silicon belts are needed. The 18 foot long silicon belts run as long continuous loops at a high speed during evolator movement, and slow to a stop as the evolator stops. In order for the operation to appear realistic, the belts have to operate in synchronism, a condition that is met by means of using large bipolar stepping motors. Due to the fact that the belts are very heavy, Anaheim Automation needed to develop a high- performance bipolar stepping motor Driver Pack (known as DPK Series) for the job. A computer was selected to coordinate the bipolar stepping motor, driver and controller system that makes the evolator work. The computer provides the DPK with clock and direction signals that trigger the bipolar stepping motor Driver Pack to operate the bipolar stepping motors, according to the required movements of the silicon belts. Time travel visitors were as thrilled with the success of the Evolator as were!

Automation and Material Handling specialists create products for a broad range of businesses, including automotive, pharmaceutical, packaging and electronics companies. Anaheim Automation, Inc. has been a supplier to these companies for over 40 years. When it comes to automating equipment, machinery and processes, some methods are efficient, while others are not. Anaheim Automation has an outstanding record for choosing sensible methods and cost-effective designs, but when we recommend multi-axis bipolar stepping motor Driver Packs and boards for moderately straightforward machines, they maximize their cost effectiveness even further. For single-axis applications that are redundant and require accurate positioning, the economical DPD72451 Preset Indexer Driver Pack is ideal, and has been a long-time favorite. Each compact bipolar stepping motor Driver Pack contains a preset indexer, a bi-level bipolar stepping motor driver, a power supply, and a cooling fan. The preset indexer has such abilities as Home, Hard and Soft Limit inputs, two Homing modes, Jog/Run, Fast Jog, and switch selectable Base Speed, Maximum Seed, and Acceleration/Deceleration. The DPF72452 Bipolar Stepping Motor Driver Pack offers the same performance for two axes. It is a larger unit with twice the capacity. The companion Quad Board is consists of four banks of digital pots mounted on a PC board, along with the supplementary circuitry. According to what the user desires, the board has the capacity to dial in up to four different move lengths. Anaheim Automation simplifies installation by offering the Quad Board connected to and mounted on the bipolar stepping motor Driver Pack. A classic example of this inventive production is a machine that rivets stiffeners on the edge of up to 800 circuit boards per hour. In this practical application, wherein bipolar stepping motor products are used, Anaheim Automation, Inc. helped a machinery manufacturer build equipment for a telephone company. This particular machine had the requirement of automatically installing stiffeners along the edge of circuit boards. A stiffener is added from a magazine, to each board that is positioned on a linear table. The bipolar stepping motor, operated by the Driver Pack, positions a table so the rivets can be inserted through the stiffener and the board in three different areas: a distance of 1-1/2 in. from the first hole, 4-1/2 in. to the second hole, and 4-1/2 in. to the third hole, and return to home. The Quad Board settings were used in order to keep two additional settings available to handle any prospective complex arrangements. Despite how simple the machine was, it was also capable of extraordinary tasks; one example being its ability to turn out 800 boards in one hour. Anaheim Automation used the same idea for other, very different machines. In the case of a pharmaceutical company; they used a flutter valve maker. For this machine, a roll of vinyl was advanced to a dimension, heat sealed, and cut along the seal. Each of the two rolls provide two valve sizes. In this case, the bipolar stepping motor controlled a drive-roller against a pinch roller, and the Quad Board settings controlled the length of the material. This left two settings for further expansion. Just like our other machines, efficiency coincides with simplicity. In this example, we can turn out 15 flutter valves a minute. This approach not only provided the benefits of simple and efficient productivity, but it only required a simple interface with a machines PLC. There was no need for high level software; therefore Anaheim Automation was able to maintain lower costs, and simplify service considerations.

Stepper motor products are versatile motion control components that can be applied to several different industries, from entertainment and film, to the business world, to science and medicine. Aircraft: A bipolar stepping motor is frequently used in aircraft instruments, scanning equipment, and sensing devices, such as antennas. Automotive: SUVs and RVs, as well as some high-end automobiles, use the bipolar stepping motor to receive telecommunication signals. A bipolar stepping motor is also used for cruise control, automated dashboards gauges and electronic window equipment, as well as in automobile factories on their production lines. Cameras - Filming and Projection: Not only does the bipolar stepping motor operate filming cameras and projectors, in the entertainment industry, but automatic digital cameras and mobile phone camera modules utilize tiny bipolar stepping motor for focusing and zooming functions as well. The security industry also uses a bipolar stepping motor for zooming, tilting and scanning operations in surveillance and security cameras. Entertainment and Gaming: Slot machines, lottery machines, raffles, card shufflers, and wheel spinners can all be operated by cost-effective and reliable bipolar stepping motor. You can also find the bipolar stepping motor in stage productions to control curtains and lighting functions, for plays and concerts, as well as seminars and rallies. Laboratory and Factory Improvements and Upgrades: A bipolar stepping motor is employed to perform tedious movements pertaining to mixing chemicals in laboratories, and operating equipment for controlled environmental testing. The bipolar stepping motor is used in retrofit kits (bipolar stepping motor, drivers, controllers and power supplies) for CNC machine control, factory automation and assembly processes. The bipolar stepping motor can also be found in scientific study, used to position observatory telescopes, and in many different types of scientific equipment, i.e. spectrographs, analyzers, and diagnostic machines. Medical: The bipolar stepping motor provides a wide variety of functions for the medical and dental world. The bipolar stepping motor is used within medical scanners, multi-axis bipolar stepping motor microscopic or nanoscopic motion control of automated devices, auto-injectors, samplers, dispensing pumps, respirators, blood analysis machinery and chromatographs. In the dental industry, a bipolar stepping motor operates fluid pumps, and are often found inside digital dental photography equipment. Office Equipment: PC based scanning equipment, optical disk drive head driving mechanisms, bar-code printers, label and box printers, scanners, and data storage drives all utilize the bipolar stepping motor for their motion control operation.

Anaheim Automations tremendous versatility of control systems is evident in their new program titled, Musical Motors. They have utilized bipolar stepping motor, stepper drivers, and stepper controllers to operate at speeds that coincide with musical notes and pitches to produce a number of different tunes. Each tune is performed by simply running the program that converts each music note into a certain step-per-second. All of the different bipolar stepping motor are programmed to produce an appropriate pitch based on how many steps-per-second they run, and for how long. Typically played at a trade show, the program provides the element of surprise; most people do not expect to hear music that is being played by bipolar stepping motor!

Employees were hired at a local packaging plant, for the sole purpose of making sure bottles were packaged with their labels facing outward in their packages. They were employed to manually adjust the positioning of the bottles and send them to the blister pack machine. Anaheim Automation helped expedite that process using bipolar stepping motor and drivers. With the new automated design, bottles were sensed with a photo-electric sensor that stops the belt and notifies the pulse generator in an Anaheim Automation Driver Pack. The bipolar stepping motor Driver Pack controls a bipolar stepping motor, which rotates the bottle by turning a rubber drive wheel. An orientation indicator is placed on the bottle that, when sensed, prompts the pulse generator and activates a discharge solenoid, which then places the bottle into the awaiting package. The packaged bottle then allows the photo sensor to trigger the next bottle to come into position to repeat the process. Implementing this process using a bipolar stepping motor Driver Pack resulted in quicker packaging with viewable bottles, at a considerably lower cost! Both the customer and its intended end-users were quite pleased with this development.