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FAULHABER’s Latest Stepper Motor Runs up to 10,000 RPM

December 03, 2021 by Shawn Dietrich

Learn about the latest line of stepper motors from FAULHABER and how they could potentially help engineers with more accurate positioning tasks.

Who is FAULHABER?

FAULHABER is a global supplier of motion-related products. Their product line consists of DC motors, stepper motors, piezo motors, encoders, and motor drive electronics.

FAULHABER has over 1800 employees across Germany, Switzerland, USA, Romania, and Hungary. Recently, FAULHABER has added to their line of stepper motors by adding a motor with up to 10,000 RPM capability. FAULHABER recently released a new line of stepper motors. But what are stepper motors, and why are they important in industrial applications?

 

Stepper Motors

A DC stepper motor is very similar to a standard DC motor, only with the ability to move a specific number of rotations, giving the user accurate position capability. There is a rotor and individual windings inside a stepper motor. The rotor comprises multiple segments or steps that interact magnetically, with multiple windings. 

 

The new stepper motor from FAULHABER. Image used courtesy of FAULHABER

 

Each winding should be individually electrified to create a magnetic pole that advances the rotor. Typically in a DC motor, you would just apply a positive and negative voltage to the motor, beginning to spin. If you were to apply voltage in the same fashion with a stepper motor, the motor would move one step, which could be 1° to 10° of a turn, depending on the number of steps.

For a stepper motor to spin at a specific RPM, one would need to signal the winding in succession very quickly. This high-speed sequence is achieved by using a stepper motor controller.

Stepper motors are a great option for low-speed applications or when an exact position is required. Due to how the steps are manufactured, a user can command a stepper motor to move an exact number of rotations or scale the rotations to a linear movement to achieve exact positioning without position feedback.

The overall size of stepper motors is typically quite small and has great holding torque ability. A downside to stepper motors is that they typically have low torque, and they cannot react to changes as the load changes.

 

The FAULHABER AM3248

The AM3248 stepper motor is a compact, high-speed stepper motor. The motor is equipped with a body diameter of only 32mm. This motor can run on RPMs up to 10,000 RPM, which according to FAULHABER, is five times the speed of comparable motors on the market today.

 

Other various stepper motors from FAULHABER. Image used courtesy of FAULHABER

 

This motor is also capable of a holding torque of 85 mNm with 0.7 A draw. Thanks to the low inertia, the motor can be used in applications that require fast start-up and direction change. The rotor is divided into 48 steps per revolution, giving a resolution of 7.5° per step. 

 

Applications

A stepper motor works great in any application that requires exciting positioning of tooling. The top RPM that this motor can be used for an application that requires a high-speed position would work well. 

 

stepper motor

A stepper motor from FAULHABER. Image used courtesy of FAULHABER

 

3D printing machines typically use stepper motors because of their cost and ability to position the printing head accurately. Using a high-speed motor such as the AM3248 would allow for rapid positioning and decreased printing time. The aerospace industry could make use of a stepper motor to position solar panels on a satellite. 

By using the AM3248, the panels could be positioned quicker, resulting in less current draw. The main purpose of this motor is to provide accurate positioning quickly. 

FAULHABER is hopeful that these motors can help engineers provide more accurate positioning in their overall processes.