Hobbyists are choosing to use stepper motors for a number of different projects from robotics to homemade CNC machines. Each project is different and may require for the builder to choose from an assortment of different stepper motors. It is important to learn how stepper motors work before jumping into a project and purchasing a stepper motor that may not function how you need it to.

The first step to choosing a stepper motor is to determine the resolution needed. There is a property within stepper motors that is called “step angle”, which measures the number of degrees the shaft turns. This is based on per input signal from the control circuitry. Some of the most common step angles include 0.9 degrees, 1.8 degrees, and 3.6 degrees. This translates as 400, 200, and 100 steps per rotation and greater the number of steps the greater the precision by the motor. In the cases of projects like CNC machines and robotics a stepper motor with a high degree of precision may be required.

Now that we have learned a bit about the resolution, it is time to move onto the winding scheme of a stepper motor. The two stator wounds that stepper motors can be found in are bipolar or unipolar configuration. The type of stator wound will determine which type of controller is needed. With a unipolar configuration the current flow of the stepper motor needs to be reversed for it to change direction. A bipolar stepper motor does not need to be reversed, instead it provides two windings per pole, one for each direction. Many hobbyist will choose the bipolar configuration since it offers the simpler controls.

Time to talk torque. Once you have determined the torque that will be required for your project you will next need to consult the stepper motor’s specifications. You will need to figure out which stepper motor you need, the matching controller, and if the stepper motor will provide enough holding torque.

The final step is to determine the size, weight, and power requirements for your stepper motor. Since stepper motors are relatively lighter than many other designs they are great for mobile applications. The project may also require a particular voltage and current draw which may alter your stepper motor selection. It’s important to keep in mind that the motor controller will be running at a higher voltage than the motor’s rating.

These steps will make selecting a stepper motor a bit more easy for many. With the different sizes, powers, and brands it can be tough choosing through the many types. This blog will help narrow your stepper motor search.

Here is an interview with Mark Summers, President of CNC Software at Mastercam.

Mastercam stood out to me as one of the few manufacturing companies that made “Going Green” an issue worth mentioning.  Even the smallest steps taken to minimize the damage done by industry is immensely important in these modern environmental times. With all the harm that manufacturing potentially causes the earth and how much we rely on manufacturing it to keep our economy running it seems more important then ever to bring our attention to this. Society is held together by many things, including technology and manufacturing, and companies like this will be the future of sustainable manufacturing in the coming decades.

What are the environmental efforts being made right now by the manufacturing industry as a whole?

Mark: I don’t know if there is enough information to summarize the efforts made by the manufacturing industry but my guess is that many businesses are at least thinking about these issues and many will act in the next few years in various ways.

Where does Mastercam stand in this context, how do you measure up or exceed expectations and standards for “Going Green”?.

Mark: The expectations are vague and not official unless you’re LEEDS certified so it’s up to the decision makers in each company to decide what level of sustainability to integrate. However I think we measure up pretty well in the green department. We have made both small improvements and large improvements in the way we operate our facility and the way we use energy.

Small ideas include using dishes, glasses and ceramic coffee mugs instead of throw away items. (We have six energy star dishwashers). We compost all of our coffee grounds and food waste so as not to use fossil fuel to haul garbage around for no good reason. In our recent building addition we made sure to use low V.O.C. paint and PVC free carpet to improve our indoor air quality. We’ve installed a fresh air heat exchanger so that we don’t lose valuable heat when bringing in fresh air from outside. All of the windows in the building open if occupants want fresh air when weather permits and a large amount of windows allow us to use more natural light rather than electric lights, which are energy efficient fluorescent lights. All of the lumber in the addition was FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. All of our printing is done on 100% recycled paper with environmental ink and over time we have been printing less and supplying more documents electronically. Many of the employees work from home 2 or 3 days a week to reduce fuel usage.

Like most businesses the real opportunity to make a difference in energy usage is the way a building is heated and cooled. Our 50,000 sq. ft. building is 100% geothermal and does not have a backup system. We have 46 wells that are 300 feet deep that extract either heat or cold out of the ground to heat or cool the building and make our hot water as well. Since the only energy source we use is electricity we decided to install a 72kw photovoltaic system to make some of our own. The solar system is newly installed but it appears we are making about 30% of the electricity that we use. That portion of our electricity will cost the same for about 30 years which is the predicted life of the solar panels.

Do you think technology has the ability to make our society sustainable, what social and scientific steps do you feel are needed to make this happen.

Mark: Yes, I think we have the technology to be 100% sustainable but it will take time and large investments and a change in our living standards. The laws of nature will eventually demand that we all become sustainable in our work and home life and making changes sooner rather than later will allow a smoother and less painful transition. The social steps that need to happen are mostly financial to start with since cost seems to have a way of getting everyone’s attention. Keeping fuel prices high via taxes will keep the pressure on all of us to pay greater attention to the way we live. Lobbying for low fuel costs to keep the economy going is short term thinking and just putting off the inevitable. A small amount of pain now might avoid real problems in the future. This theoretical fuel tax revenue could be used for tax credits and rebates to help fund more homes and businesses that invest in alternative energy. If the U.S. government can find a way to spend over half a trillion dollars to fight a war we can surely find the same amount of money to invest in more clean energy ideas that could actually avoid a war.

You were a “green” company before “green” really existed. What is the history of your company’s progress with its environmental efforts?

Mark: We have always tried to pay attention to our energy and material usage. My depression era parents might have had some influence in this area. We built our first building in 1989 about five miles from our current building and incorporated a geothermal system and passive solar system. Oil deliveries and burning oil in a furnace never really made much sense to me.

Are you noticing any other manufacturing companies going green or being socially responsible? If not, why do you think this is and what would it take to change this trend.

Mark: I know of one local shop that is environmentally aware and is in the process of installing a 32kw photovoltaic system to make some of their electricity. The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund offers a generous rebate for this type of system and I am certain that other shops are acting. Some businesses are motivated to save money and some are motivated to save the environment. Either way works.

What is your view on the peak oil crisis and how it will and has affected industry and manufacturing?

The peak oil crisis and high energy cost spike was a much needed wake up call for all of us. Hopefully the recent drop in oil prices won’t allow us to forget that we need to pay attention and make some changes. I think most people realize that was just a little taste of what’s coming and we need to be ready when cheap energy is no longer available. There are many ways to “be ready”. Take advantage of the energy incentive programs that are available right now. Hire an energy company to audit your operation and then act on at least some of the advice. Use less energy and make some of your own. Almost any business can afford a few solar panels and encourage recycling and shutting the lights off. Do something and then tell people about it, in that order.

Are there any new greening initiatives at your company, underway or being discussed?

We’re not obsessed with green ideas since we still need to spend most of our time operating the business so it stay healthy but we do talk about energy and environmental ideas regularly. Lately we have been monitoring many of our electronic devices to see how much power they used when turned “off”. You might be surprised to learn that many of these devices such as computers, printers, fax machines, cable boxes, dvd players etc. steal your power all the time. A $25 Kill A Watt meter will help you uncover these electric injustices and will surely pay for itself in short order provided you act on your findings. Another current project is to add more computerized controls to our HVAC system to make sure it runs only when necessary. For example, many people forget to adjust the heat or AC when they leave at night or the weekends. A computer can make that adjustment easily and with more consistency than a human and save lots of energy in the process. In other words, an efficient system that isn’t controlled properly isn’t really that efficient.

How does the lax environmental regulations in China and India fit into the global environmental solution?

Well, we all live in the same world and the responsibility level of other countries affects us all. My opinion is that the countries that care about the goal of sustainability and environmental responsibility should first offer technical and financial help to the countries that need it if they can. If the offending countries ignore sincere help then the heat should be turned up and we should reduce or avoid doing business with countries that don’t toe the line. Countries are just a collection of people and policies and sometimes a repercussion needs to be felt before action takes place. When my kids leave the lights on in their room I take the bulbs out of the offending light to send a small message. A country might need a larger message in a similar fashion.

What new and exciting things are happening right now over at Mastercam?

We are continuously working on new ideas for our CAD CAM product called Mastercam as we have been for 25 years and this year has proven to be successful as well. Our cautious but constant growth allows us to serve our customers as they expect now and in the foreseeable future and we will continue our ever present goal of reaching sustainability.

Special Thanks to Mark Summers for taking time to answer some of our questions. To read more about MasterCam’s Green initiatives, check out this article.

As one of the first blogs to report on energy efficiency in CNC machining, We felt it important to post on Siemens new product the Sinumerik Ctrl-E.  This post contains specs on the product and how it can help save in electricity cost as well as aid your business in garnering a “green” reputation. According to a recent EU Commission report, industrial production accounted for 40 percent of total power consumption in the EU-27 in 2007, of which 70 percent was used by electrical drive systems. Depending on the company involved, machine tools can account for up to 68 percent of the total energy requirement. This fact makes energy efficiency in manufacturing a decisive factor in reducing plant costs and improving overall competitiveness. Siemens kept this in mind when it carried out an energy analysis of individual machine tool components with the goal of achieving significant cuts in energy consumption through Sinumerik Ctrl-Energy.

With Sinumerik Ctrl-Energy, Siemens has opened up a broad range of solutions for the energy-efficient operation of machine tools, encompassing its Sinamics drive systems and motors, CNC and drive function and PC software solutions. Sinumerik Ctrl-Energy offers energy-efficient solutions covering every aspect of the machine’s lifecycle, starting from machine design and engineering through machine operation and partial or complete retrofit. This makes Sinumerik Ctrl-Energy a broad-based platform for efficient machine management, which will benefit both the machine tool OEM and end-user.
By holding ‘Ctrl E’  on the operator panel, Sinumerik CNCs can provide a fast evaluation of the machine tool’s energy consumption and also manage energy consumption during machine downtime. Using the ‘Ctrl-E Analysis’ function, Sinumerik controls determine both the energy consumption of a drive system and the entire machine. They enable the user to analyze the amount of energy that goes into machining every individual workpiece as the basis for machining strategy improvements. The ‘Ctrl-E Profiles’ function also provides a configuration platform for the management of the machine’s energy saving modes, helping to selectively shut down specific power loads during downtimes.

FREQUENCY CONVERTERS AND ENERGY-SAVING MOTORS — THE INTEGRATED DRIVE TRAIN AS A CORE ELEMENT OF OVERALL ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The Siemens Sinamics S120 drive system permits dynamic energy management in the DC link and makes use of a highly efficient power recovery system, which initially stores generated braking energy in a DC link and optionally feeds it back into the grid rather than allowing the brake resistance to turn it into heat. Sinamics drives and Siemens motors have been designed with a clear focus on energy efficiency aspects. In this manner, integrated drive modules from Siemens reach a high efficiency rating of 97–99 percent.

With an efficiency of up to 94 percent in synchronous motors and up to 91 percent in asynchronous motors, the Siemens motor range also provides a basis for energy-efficient machine designs. In a typical machine tool, auxiliary assemblies such as hydraulic supply systems or cooling and lubrication units account for over half the total energy consumption. Energy-saving 1LE standard asynchronous motors have an efficiency rating of up to 97 percent and offer significant potential for auxiliary assembly improvement. The use of Sinamics G120 frequency converters helps adjust the speed and also the energy consumption of auxiliary systems to the level required at each stage of
the process.

POTENTIAL SAVINGS: CURRENT FLOW REDUCTION AND POWER FACTOR COMPENSATION
Sinamics S120 drive systems permit automatic current flow reduction in asynchronous spindles operating under part-load, avoiding unnecessary heat loss. The reactive power of a machine can be fully compensated using the smart infeed and feedback modules of Sinamics S120 drives, rendering costly and loss-prone reactive power compensation units on the end user’s premises superfluous.

CONTROL CABINETS ALSO HELP EFFICIENCY
Control cabinets, along with the required dissipation of heat, have a significant impact on the energy balance of a machine. Siemens can supply machine tool builders with a complete control cabinet that is designed with optimum energy management in mind. Various cooling options exist, including cold plate and direct fluid cooling, which reduce the need for air-conditioning in the control cabinet and make waste heat produced by the drive systems available elsewhere in the form of process heat.

SIZER — THE CONFIGURATION TOOL FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT DRIVES
Sizer is the Siemens software tool used to configure energy-efficient drives. It calculates energy consumption and losses incurred with the anticipated load cycles (ramp-up, idle running, running under load, braking, cycle times etc.), as well as the influence of regenerative feedback. This allows the energy efficiency of alternative motor/converter combinations to be evaluated. Using this information, configuration of the feed and main spindle axes can be optimized in line with the process and the anticipated cyclical work flows. Sizer also helps users to avoid over-dimensioning, also in terms of infeed, and to minimize energy consumption.

Twice a year, ThomasNet releases their Industry Market Barometer which is a survey that helps to get a better idea on how different buyers and sellers are feeling about their businesses and what they are doing to overcome challenges. This particular survey asked nearly 3,400 buyers and sellers of industrial goods a series of questions to gauge their success moving forward.

The majority of those surveyed are from small companies—fewer than 100 employees and less than $10 million a year in revenue. What was found in the survey is that there is a growing optimism toward things and that they are anticipating more demand for their goods.

Two groups, specifically, that emerged in this survey are the “Outperformers” and the “Optimists.” The “Outperformer” is someone who had growth in the second half of 2010 and had anticipated more growth by June 2011. The “Optimists” anticipated growth by June 2010, but experienced a steady or declining growth in the second half of 2010.

Across the entire industrial marketplace, 45 percent of industrial companies are continuing to grow in comparison to 18 percent who aren’t. In every region and every sector of business, these numbers are true.

This growth can be attributed to two things: a heavy reliance on customer retention and service and utilizing their websites and the Internet to market their company.

The IMB revealed that 68% of respondents found customers cutting back or closing shop to be their top challenge. To try and prevent this from being a challenge in the future, 31% of companies are hiring customer service positions.

Demand is up, according to these companies. Thirty-seven percent of respondents anticipated hiring new employees through June 2011. Of those companies, 43% are hiring skilled trade workers and 36% are hiring engineering staff. Demand is, as these numbers would show, up and that is something that will convert into jobs.

Many more companies are realizing the need to move online and market themselves there. By utilizing their own website and a directory such as ThomasNet, companies are finding an increase in revenue growth. Of all IMB respondents, 76 percent reported that their website made a contribution to growth from July to December 2010.

Over half of the “Outperformers” revealed that their website opened up new sources of business which resulted in new revenues.

There are still things that need to be to make the online experience more worthwhile. Buyers are looking for websites that include product comparisons so that purchasing is easier. More importantly, they want to see the prices and product information to ensure that the product they are getting is exactly what they want.

The economy is obviously hurting and companies are hesitant to hire. However, what the IMB shows is that there is growth in the industrial sector and companies are beginning to add people to ensure that they can reach the demand presented to them by their customers.

Focusing on Unique Services

Technology Perspective

The Lone Studer

Excellent Service

Fighting Back