What Are The Differences in Usage Between Stepper Motors And Servo Motors?
Which one has a larger permissible moment of inertia?
Gain adjustment essentially refers to tuning control parameters to achieve optimal performance according to the actual load.
The responsiveness and stability of a servo motor are heavily affected by the load moment of inertia, its fluctuations, and the mechanical rigidity of the system. For this reason, servo systems equipped with low‑rigidity mechanisms (such as belt drives or rotary impellers) or large inertia loads may experience vibration or unstable operation, requiring careful gain tuning.
Although manual gain adjustment for specific mechanisms can be challenging, modern servo drives often include automatic gain tuning functions that greatly simplify commissioning.
According to mechanism type
For lifting equipment with changing workloads, or mechanisms with highly variable loads such as crank mechanisms and cam systems, gain adjustment for servo motors can be particularly difficult.
Stepper motors, however, are not sensitive to mechanism variations and provide high responsiveness without requiring gain tuning, making them a practical choice for customized customer solutions.
Classified by work item
If a servo motor operates beyond its recommended load moment of inertia (allowable inertia), it will exceed the effective range of automatic gain control, resulting in unstable behavior. This can cause issues such as poor command following, insufficient agility, or micro‑vibration at standstill.
In contrast, motors like the αSTEP series have a larger rotor moment of inertia and higher permissible moment of inertia than similarly sized servo motors. They can therefore operate stably even under high load‑inertia conditions.
What is Gain Adjustment?
Gain adjustment is the process of optimizing control parameters based on the load characteristics.
The value and fluctuation of the load moment of inertia, as well as the mechanical rigidity of the equipment, significantly affect the responsiveness and stability of servo motors. Consequently, gain adjustment is essential for systems with low mechanical rigidity or large inertia loads.
Summary: Differences in the Use of Stepper Motors and Servo Motors
- Stepper motors are more suitable for applications with variable load mass (such as hoists, crankshaft mechanisms, and cam mechanisms) or large load moment of inertia.
- Servo motors excel in long‑stroke, high‑speed, and high‑precision positioning with superior acceleration performance and operational reliability.
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