STEPPING MOTORS IN INDUSTRIAL MOTION CONTROL.

A description is given of the permanent magnet stepping motor used to introduce the fundamental equations governing its behavior. From these equations the theoretical static and dynamic performance capabilities of the device are developed and compared with actual test results. Some of the parameters that limit the practical applicability of the fundamental equations are explored, and their effects are described in qualitative terms. Examples are given of the control techniques that are used to overcome the inherent performance limitations of simple motor/drive combinations. Some of these techniques are implemented in the drive, i. e. the interface between the motor and the digital controller, while others can be built into the software algorithm of the controller itself. With these improvements in place, the steppping motor can be applied with ease in a broad range of industrial and commerical applications.